Current Affairs (CONSOLIDaTION)

16-30th November 2018

Drishti, 641, First Floor, Dr. Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi-110009 Phone: 87501 87501, WhatsApp: 81303 92355 Email: [email protected] Contents

Polity and Governance...... 1 zz States Deny Consent to CBI...... 1 zz Maharashtra Governor’s Nod to Bill For Reservation For Marathas...... 1

Economic Scenario...... 3 zz RBI Eases Hedging Norms for External Commercial Borrowings...... 3 zz India-China Signed Amended DTAA...... 3 zz National Financial Reporting Authority...... 4 zz India’s Disputes At WTO...... 5 zz City Gas Distribution Scheme...... 7 zz Minimum Wages Act for Domestic Workers...... 7 zz Sustainable Blue Economy Conference...... 9 zz Global Wage Report 2018: ILO...... 9 zz United Nations Shortlists Noida, Greater Noida for ‘Global Cities’ Initiative...... 10 zz PAiSA Portal...... 11 zz Logix India...... 11

International Relations...... 12 zz ASEAN Summit, East Asia Summit, RCEP Summit, Quad Meeting...... 12 zz APEC Fails to Reach Consensus...... 13 zz Prime Minister’s Visit to Maldives...... 14 zz Kartarpur Corridor...... 15 zz India to Step-up Agri-Diplomacy with China...... 16 zz Konkan Exercise-2018...... 16

Science and Technology...... 17 zz India to Study Marijuana-Derived Drugs...... 17 zz GROWTH-India’s First Robotic Telescope...... 19 zz New Super-Earth Discovered...... 20 zz Guidelines for Reduction of Trans Fatty Acids...... 20 zz Government Allows Ethanol Extraction for Blending from Foodgrains...... 21 zz KG Gets a New Definition...... 22 zz Arecibo Message...... 24 zz Solar Bubble Dryer...... 24 zz Matibabu Device...... 24 zz Plane Flying With No Moving Parts...... 24 zz Satellite HysIS...... 24 zz InSight on Mars...... 25 zz World’s First Gene Edited Babies...... 26 zz Innovation Cell for Higher Education Institutions ...... 27

Environment and Ecology...... 28 zz Greenhouse Gas Levels Reach Record Highs: UN Report...... 28 zz Invasive Plant Species Introduced by Kerala Floods...... 29 zz Atmospheric Geoengineering Experiment to Curb Global Warming...... 30 zz Andaman & Nicobar Islands’ Rich Faunal Diversity...... 31 zz IMO Guidelines on Shipping Fuel...... 33 zz BASIC Nations Push for ‘Climate Finance’...... 34 zz World’s First Online Climate Summit...... 35 zz UN Environment Award for India...... 36 zz Ortolan Bunting in India...... 36 zz Devastation at Point Calimere ...... 37 zz Parambikulam Tiger Reserve...... 37 zz Rare Bird Sighted in Chinnar Sanctuary...... 37 zz Horned Frogs Discovered by DU Team...... 37 zz India’s First Elephant Hospital in Mathura ...... 38 zz Elephant Corridors as ESZ ...... 38 zz Saltwater Crocodile Sighted in AP...... 38 zz Atmosphere & Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems & Services (ACROSS) ...... 39 zz SSB to Patrol Dudhwa Tiger Reserve...... 39 zz Emissions Gap Report 2018...... 39

Security...... 41 zz Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti...... 41 zz Emergency Response Support System (ERSS)...... 41

Art & Culture...... 42 zz Climate Change and the Decline of Indus Valley Civilisation...... 42 zz World Heritage Week...... 43 zz Tawang Monastery...... 43 zz Aadi Mahotsav...... 43 zz Reggae got UNESCO Heritage Status ...... 44

Social Issues...... 45 zz World Toilet Day...... 45 zz World Malaria Report 2018...... 46 zz Global Education Monitoring Report-2019 : UNESCO...... 47 zz Maternity Leave Incentive Scheme...... 48 zz Intensified Mission Indradhanush...... 49 zz US Citizen killed by Tribals in Andaman...... 50 zz Global Nutrition Report 2018...... 51 zz Qaumi Ekta Week...... 52

Disaster Management...... 54 zz Impact Based Forecasting Approach...... 54 zz Titli: Rarest Cyclone...... 54

Miscellaneous...... 56 zz Mekedatu Project...... 56 zz Indian Organ Donation Day...... 56 zz Vaccine for Goat Plague...... 56 zz Vetiver Grass...... 56 zz Korean Wrestling in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List...... 57 zz Constitution Day...... 57 zz Constitution in Braille...... 57 www.drishtiIAS.com CURRENT AFFAIRS NOVEMBER 2018 1 Polity and Governance

Highlights zz States Deny Consent to CBI (1) zz Maharashtra Governor’s Nod to Bill For Reservation For Marathas (1)

¾¾Withdrawal of consent will only bar the CBI from States Deny Consent to CBI registering a case within the jurisdiction of Andhra and Bengal. The CBI could still file cases in Delhi and The Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal governments continue to probe people inside the two states. withdrew “general consent” to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for investigating cases in their respective ¾¾Cases registered anywhere else in the country, but states. involving people stationed in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, would allow CBI’s jurisdiction to extend ¾¾In past, several states have withdrawn consent like to these states. Sikkim, Nagaland, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka. ¾¾In simple terms withdrawal of consent simply means General Consent that CBI officers will lose all powers of a police officer as soon as they enter the state unless the state ¾¾Unlike the National Investigation Agency (NIA), government has allowed them. which is governed by its own NIA Act, 2008 and has jurisdiction across the country, the CBI is governed by ¾¾It will have no impact on investigation of cases already the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 (DSPE registered with CBI as old cases were registered when Act, 1946) that makes consent of a state government general consent existed. mandatory for conducting investigation in that state. ¾¾There are two kinds of consent: case-specific and Maharashtra general. Governor’s Nod to Bill For ¾¾Given that the CBI has jurisdiction only over central government departments and employees, it can Reservation For Marathas investigate a case involving state government employees or a violent crime in a given state only after that state The Maharashtra governor gave nod to a Bill that government gives its consent. grants 16% reservation for Maratha community in government jobs and education. ¾¾Section 6 of the DSPE Act, 1946 empowers the state government to give or deny consent to CBI officer to ¾¾The bill was unanimously passed by both the houses investigate the matter within the state. of legislature. ¾¾“General consent” is normally given to help the CBI ¾¾The newly passed bill provides for reservation of seamlessly conduct its investigation into cases of seats for admission in educational institutions and corruption against central government employees posts in public services under Article 15(4), 16(4) of in the concerned state. Almost all states have given the Constitution of India. such consent. ¾¾Maratha community has been granted reservation under an independent category Socially and Impact of Withdrawal of General Consent Educationally Backward Class (SEBC). ¾¾It means the CBI will not be able to register any fresh ¾¾The approval of the Bill has increased the reservation case involving a central government official or a private in Maharashtra from the current 52% to 68%, thus person stationed in these two states without getting crossing the 50% ceiling set by Supreme Court in case-specific consent. Indra Sawhney Case (1992).

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Article 15(4) in The Constitution of India (MSBCC) submitted a report as per which Marathas have been declared as socially and educationally ¾¾Nothing in this article or in clause shall prevent backward class of citizens and have inadequate the State from making any special provision for representation in the services under state. the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Issues Around Reservation Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. ¾¾Judicial Scrutiny Article 16(4) in The Constitution of India €€Reservation in Maharashtra is already beyond ¾¾ Nothing in this article shall prevent the State the Supreme Court imposed limit of 50% and from making any provision for the reservation of 16% reservation to Marathas, would take it to appointments or posts in favor of any backward 68%. class of citizens which, in the opinion of the State, is not adequately represented in the services under €€However, there is no provision in the Constitution the State. imposing ceiling on reservation. But it has provision that reservation should be given under exceptional Maratha Community and extraordinary cases. ¾ Marathas are the Marathi-speaking, politically dominant ¾¾Not a “Backward Community” community in Maharashtra. They make up about €€Marathas don’t face any social stigma which one-third of the population of the state. hinders their economic development. Hence, there ¾ Historically, they have been identified as a warrior is no reason that calls for giving them affirmative class with large land-holdings. action. €€The demand for reservations for Marathas, Reasons for Demand of Reservation traditionally seen as “upper castes”, goes against ¾¾Division of land and agrarian problems over the years the spirit of affirmative action. They also play a have led to a decline of prosperity among middle-class central role in states electoral politics. and lower-middle-class within Maratha community. ¾¾Marathas are a predominantly agrarian community Way Forward which have been hit by the rural distress, especially ¾¾Government should look at the bigger solution to the the crisis in agriculture, and their efforts to seek problem as quotas offer only a limited, short-term education and alternative employment has been solution to these problems. hampered by locational disadvantages. ¾¾Reservation is an instrument to rectify social ¾¾Inability of the state governments to provide enough and educational backwardness, but it is not a jobs is another factor for dissatisfaction. solution for every social and economic ailment. The government should focus on increasing economic Basis for Reservation growth which might lead to new employment ¾¾The Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission opportunities.

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Economic Scenario

Highlights zz RBI Eases Hedging Norms for External Commercial Borrowings (3) zz Sustainable Blue Economy Conference (9) zz India-China Signed Amended DTAA (3) zz Global Wage Report 2018: ILO (9) zz National Financial Reporting Authority (4) zz United Nations Shortlists Noida, Greater Noida for ‘Global Cities’ zz India's Disputes At WTO (5) Initiative (10) zz City Gas Distribution Scheme (7) zz PAiSA Portal (11) zz Minimum Wages Act for Domestic Workers (7) zz Logix India (11)

RBI Eases Hedging External Commercial Borrowings ¾¾External Commercial Borrowings is a loan availed Norms for External by an Indian entityfrom a nonresident lender with Commercial Borrowings a minimum average maturity of 3 years. ¾¾Advantages of ECBs: The Reserve Bank has relaxed norms for external €€ECBs provide opportunity to borrow large commercial borrowings (ECBs) by reducing the mandatory volume of funds. hedging provision to 70% from the current 100%. €€The funds are available for relatively long term. ¾¾The cost of hedging has gone up in the last six months €€Interest rate are also lower compared to with the strengthening of the dollar. As a result, the domestic funds. ECB route was becoming unattractive to firms. €€ECBs are in the form of foreign currencies. Hence, ¾¾The move will help bring down the final cost of they enable corporates to have foreign currency overseas loans for Indian firms but could leave them to meet the import of machineries etc. more exposed to volatility in the foreign exchange €€ markets. Corporates can raise ECBs from internationally recognized sources such as banks, export credit ¾¾The relaxed norms will apply to the ECBs with a agencies, international capital markets etc. maturity period between 3 and 5 years. Hedging India-China ¾¾Hedging is a financial technique that helps to reduce or mitigate the effects of measurable type Signed Amended DTAA from the future changes in the fair value of of risk ¾¾India and China have signed a protocol to amend commodities, cash flows, securities, currencies, the existingDouble Taxation Avoidance Agreement assets and liabilities. (DTAA) to update the existing provisions to the latest ¾¾It is a kind of an insurance that do not eliminate international standards. the risk completely but mitigate its effect. ¾¾It also incorporates changes required to implement ¾¾It consists of the purchase or sale of equal quantities of a treaty-related minimum standards under the the same or very similar commodities, approximately action reports of Base Erosion & Profit shifting simultaneously, in two different markets with the (BEPS) Project. expectation that a future change in price in one market will be offset by an opposite change in the Double Tax Avoidance Agreements (DTAAs) other market. ¾¾A DTAA is a tax treaty signed between two or more

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countries so that taxpayers in these countries can Background . avoid being taxed twice for the same income ¾¾The need for establishing NFRA was felt in the wake ¾¾A DTAA applies in cases where a taxpayer resides in of accounting scams and to establish an independent one country and earns income in another. regulator for enforcement of auditing standards and ¾¾Significance of DTAA: ensuring the quality of audits. €€DTAAs are intended to make a country an attractive ¾¾Section 132 of the Companies Act 2013 gives the investment destination by providing relief on central government the power to set up such an dual taxation. authority. €€DTAAs also provide for concessional rates of tax ¾¾A Parliamentary Standing Committee had also in some cases. recommended that the National Advisory Committee on Accounting Standards be institutionalized by €€However, DTAAs can become an incentive for even setting up an NFRA. legitimate investors to route investments through low-tax regimes to sidestep taxation. This leads to ¾¾At present, Institute of Chartered Accountants of loss of tax revenue for the country. India (ICAI) is the auditing regulator. ICAI plays the advisory role with respect to accounting and auditing Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) standards and policies. ¾¾BEPS is a term used to describe tax planning strategies Institute of Chartered Accountants of India that exploit mismatches and gaps that exist between ¾¾The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) the tax rules of different jurisdictions. is a statutory body, established by The Chartered ¾¾It is done to minimise the corporation tax that is Accountants Act, 1949. payable overall, either making tax profits ‘disappear’ ¾¾The Institute functions under the administrative or shift profits to low tax jurisdictions where there is control of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. little or no genuine activity. ¾¾It is aimed at regulating the profession of Chartered ¾¾In general BEPS strategies are not illegal; rather they Accountancy in the country. take advantage of different tax rules operating in different jurisdictions. Key points ¾¾The BEPS initiative is an Organisation for Economic ¾¾NFRA will oversee the quality of service and undertake Co-operation and Development (OECD) initiative, investigation of the auditors of listed entities and approved by the G20, to identify ways of providing unlisted entities with paid-up capital of not less more standardised tax rules globally. than ₹500 crore or annual turnover of over ₹1,000 crore or those having aggregate loans, debentures or deposits of not less than ₹500 crore as of March National Financial 31 of the preceding financial year. Reporting Authority ¾¾ICAI retains jurisdiction of small listed companies. ¾¾The NFRA will also have oversight over auditors of The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has notified banks, insurers, electricity firms and also those body rules determining the jurisdiction, powers, function and corporates referred to it by the Centre. duties of the National Financial Reporting Authority ¾¾It will investigate matters, either suo moto or on a (NFRA). reference made to it by the Central Government, of ¾¾The Companies Act, 2013 provided for the creation professional misconduct by chartered accountants of a National Financial Reporting Authority. (CA) or CA firms, impose penalty and debar the CA ¾¾Earlier, the Union Cabinet on March 1, 2018 approved or CA firm for up to 10 years. the creation of a National Financial Reporting Authority ¾¾Make recommendations to the Central Government (NFRA) as an independent regulator for the auditing on the formulation and laying down of accounting profession, in an attempt to tighten regulatory oversight and auditing policies and standards for adoption by over chartered accountants and plug loopholes. companies or class of companies or their auditors.

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¾¾Monitor and enforce the compliance with accounting ¾¾The NFRA should keep its distance from ICAI. Otherwise, standards and auditing standards in such manner as it will become yet another case of regulatory capture. prescribed. ¾¾The NFRA should also look at company secretaries who ¾¾Oversee the quality of service of the professions are currently governed by the Institute of Company associated with ensuring compliance with such Secretaries of India (ICSI) as they have an equally standards, and suggest measures required for important role in examining rule compliance. improvement in quality of service and such other ¾¾There is no contradiction or overlap between NFRA and related matters. ICAI, as each of them has their exclusive jurisdiction. ¾¾The rules also provide for a detailed procedure on Hence, both should meaningfully co-exist and harness disciplinary proceedings that will be undertaken by mutual synergies and complementarities. the NFRA. It has mandated time-bound disposal (90 days) of the show cause notice through a summary India's Disputes At WTO procedure. ¾¾The National Financial Reporting Authority shall Recently, Australia has referred India to the World consist of members not exceeding fifteen part time Trade Organization (WTO) over subsidies paid to sugarcane and full-time members. farmers. ¾¾The chairperson and members, who are in full-time ¾¾Many countries have filed complaints in WTO employment with National Financial Reporting against various welfare and subsidy programs run Authority, shall not be associated with any audit firm by government of India. (including related consultancy firms) during the course Complaints Against India of their appointment and two years after ceasing to hold such appointment. ¾¾On November 12, US filed a complaint against India alleging that India has paid out far more in cotton Benefits of establishing NFRA subsidies than the WTO rules permit. ¾¾With the constitution of NFRA,India is now eligible ¾¾On November 7, India lost a trade dispute at the WTO to become a member of the International Forum of after a settlement panel upheld Japan’s complaint Independent Audit Regulators (IFIAR), which was on the imposition of safeguard duty on imports of denied until now for want of an independent audit hot-rolled steel flatproducts during September 2015 oversight body in the country. and March 2018. ¾¾ ¾¾This will enhance investor confidence as well as In May 2018, the US submitted a communication standing of India in the global arena. under provisions of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) on certain measures of India providing Market ¾¾Supporting the globalisation of business by meeting Price Support (MPS) to wheat and rice for the years international practices. 2010-11 to 2013-14. ¾¾Further development of auditing profession. ¾¾In 2016, the dispute settlement panel had ruled in ¾¾Establishment of NFRA will free resources for the ICAI favour of a US complaint against the requirement to work on developing new and complex skills needed that power producers under the Jawaharlal Nehru in the uncertain world of technology. National Solar Mission compulsorily procure a part of solar panels and modules for their projects from Way Forward domestic producers. ¾¾The NFRA has an uphill task of creating a structure and processes for effectively delivering on the complete Australia's Stand range of functions like standards setting, professional ¾¾Australia has said that it will utilise the established development, quality monitoring and disciplining of global trading rules to defend the interests of its medium and large-size audit firm. Moreover, disposal farmers and will continue to support the right of of disciplinary cases in 90 days, is going to be onerous Australia's sugar industry to compete on equal terms and challenging task. with domestic Indian industry.

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India’s Stand zzAmber Box: All domestic support measures considered to distort production and trade ¾¾India has maintained its stand that the country’s sugar (with some exceptions) fall into the amber box exports comply with WTO rules. India does not extend as all domestic supports except those in the a subsidy to its farmers for exports, but instead gives blue and green boxes. a production subsidy. 1. These include measures to support prices, ¾¾On the issue of MPS being violative of WTO norms, India or subsidies directly related to production has dismissed these allegations and has demanded quantities. that MPS should be calculated by using the recent zzBlue Box: This is the “amber box with conditions”. reference period instead of 1986/88 prices, which was Such conditions are designed to reduce distortion. factored in at the time of the creation of the WTO. 1. Any support that would normally be in the Countervailing Duty and Anti-Dumping Duty amber box is placed in the blue box if the ¾¾Countervailing Duty: It is imposed on imported support also requires farmers to limit goods to counterbalance subsidy provided by the production. exporter country. 2. At present, there are no limits on spending ¾¾Anti-Dumping Duty: An antidumping duty is a on blue box subsidies. protectionist tariff that a domestic government ¾¾Market Access: Market access for goods in the WTO imposes on foreign imports that it believes are means the conditions, tariff and non-tariff measures, priced below fair market value. agreed by members for the entry of specific goods into €€Dumping is a process where a company exports a their markets. The market access requires that tariffs product at a price lower than the price it normally fixed (like custom duties) by individual countries be charges on its own home market. cut progressively to allow free trade. It also required €€To protect local businesses and markets, many countries to remove non-tariff barriers and convert countries impose stiff duties on products they them to Tariff duties. believe are being dumped in their national market. ¾¾Export Subsidy: Subsidy on inputs of agriculture, making export cheaper or other incentives for exports Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) such as import duty remission etc are included under AoA is aimed to remove trade barriers and to promote export subsidies. These can result in dumping of highly transparent market access and integration of global subsidized (and cheap) products in other country and markets. Agreement on agriculture stands on three pillars: damage domestic agriculture sector of other country. ¾¾Domestic Support:It calls for reduction in domestic Principle of Trade subsidies that distorts free trade and fair price. Without Discrimination at WTO €€Under this provision, the Aggregate Measurement ¾¾ of Support (AMS) is to be reduced by 20% over a Most Favored Nation (MFN): Treating other nations period of 6 years by developed countries and 13% equally. Under the WTO principle of trading system, countries normally are not allowed to discriminate over a period of 10 years by developing countries. between their trading partners. €€Under this, Subsidies are categorized into: ¾¾National Treatment: Treating foreigners and locals zzGreen Box: subsidies that do not distort trade, equally. Under this principle, foreign goods are given or at most cause minimal distortion. same treatment as one’s own. 1. They are government-funded and must not ¾¾Free Trade: Lowering trade barriers is one of the most involve price support. obvious means of encouraging trade. 2. They also include environmental protection ¾¾Predictability: With stability, predictability and binding and regional development programmes. commitments, WTO principle seeks to encourage 3. “Green box” subsidies are therefore allowed investment, create jobs and to accrue the benefits without limits, provided they comply with of competition to consumers in the form of choice the policy-specific criteria. quality and lower prices.

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¾¾Promoting Fair Competition: WTO agreements also ¾¾Support Government's clean energy initiatives - aim to support fair competition in trade in agriculture, Like Ethanol Blending, Compressed Biogas plants, intellectual property, services etc. increased LPG coverage and introduction of BS-6 ¾¾Encouraging Development and Economic Reforms: fuels for automobiles. Developing countries that need flexibility to implement €€Under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, cylinders the system’s agreements are given special assistance will be vacated for delivery in rural areas, from the and trade concessions under WTO rules. This promotes cities which will get piped gas deliveries. economic reforms and development in these countries. ¾¾Industries: The expansion of CGD network will ensure Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) uninterrupted supply of natural gas. ¾¾The Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of the World ¾¾Address constraints of cylindered gas supply: Delivering Trade Organization (WTO) makes decisions on trade gas through cylinders is energy intensive exercise that disputes between member countries. has many layers including gas agency, distributors. ¾¾DSB consists of all WTO members. Piped supply is more efficient and helps in maintaining ¾¾The DSB makes all its decisions by consensus. continuous supply. ¾¾The DSB has the sole authority to establish panels of experts to consider the case, and to accept or Challenges reject the panels’ findings or the results of an appeal. ¾¾Meeting Demands of Gas:can suffer due to supply- ¾¾It monitors the implementation of the rulings and side constraints. recommendations, and has the power to authorize ¾¾Pricing Issue: Imported gas should be available at retaliation when a country does not comply with affordable prices to all category of consumers. a ruling. ¾¾Infrastructure: Both funding and acquisition of land are required for LNG terminals at port, technology for City Gas Distribution Scheme re-gasification of LNG, and CNG stations to distribute gas to consumers in cities. Prime Minister laid the foundation stone to mark the commencement of work for 9th round of City Gas Way Forward Distribution (CGD). ¾¾Reasonable long term contract for LNG with natural ¾¾Purpose for development of CGD networks is to gas exporting nations can help in addressing the issue increase the availability of cleaner cooking fuel (i.e. Piped Natural Gas) and transportation fuel (i.e. of demand-supply constraints. Compressed Natural Gas) in the country. ¾¾The government should enhance the LNG terminal ¾¾This will also help the country to move towards a gas capacity, renegotiate Indo-Qatar Gas deal to increase based economy. the supply of Gas. ¾¾Presently the share of gas in the country’s energy ¾¾It is also necessary to promote production of gas mix is just over 6% and the aim is to reach the 15% domestically. figure, while the world average is 24%. Significance of the Scheme Minimum Wages ¾¾Environment Friendly: Natural gas, as domestic kitchen Act for Domestic Workers fuel, as fuel for transport sector as well as a fuel for industries and commercial units, can play a significant A petition filed by NGO Common Cause along with role in reducing carbon emission. social activist Aruna Roy and the National Platform for ¾¾Natural Gas is cheaper: than petrol, diesel and even Domestic Workers has sought the Supreme Court’s market price LPG. intervention to lay down guidelines to protect domestic ¾¾Employment Generation: Gas networks in cities will workers’ rights. create a new ecosystem which will enable gas based ¾¾The petition sought the recognition of domestic work industries, generates employment to youth. under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.

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¾¾The work hours should be reduced to eight a day and Challenges the workers should be given a mandatory weekly off ¾¾While several legislations such as the Unorganized as a basic right under Article 21. Social Security Act, 2008, Sexual Harassment against ¾¾According to estimates by the International Labour Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Organisation (ILO), there are at least four million Redressal) Act, 2013 and Minimum Wages Schedules domestic workers in India. notified in various states refer to domestic workers, there remains an absence of comprehensive, uniformly International Labour Organization (ILO) applicable, national legislation that guarantees fair ¾¾The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a terms of employment and decent working conditions. United Nations Agency dealing with labour issues, ¾¾About half the states have included domestic workers particularly international labour standards, social as labourers under the Minimum Wages Act, which protection, and work opportunities for all. sets out terms of payment, hours of work and leave. ¾¾The ILO was created in 1919, as part of the Treaty Yet, this law is grossly inadequate. of Versailles that ended World War I, to reflect €€The law does not, for instance, require domestic the belief that universal and lasting peace can be workers and employers to register with any authority, accomplished only if it is based on social justice. which is crucial for monitoring whether both parties ¾¾It is a tripartite organization, the only one of its kind are fulfilling their contractual obligations and for bringing together representatives ofgovernments, adjudicating conflicts. employers and workers in its executive bodies. ¾¾Absence of proper documentation, which also ¾¾Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland. increases their reliance on employers to access social security benefits. As employment is largely through Background word of mouth or personal referrals, employment ¾¾Domestic worker is a person who is employed in any contracts are rarely negotiated, leaving the terms of household on a temporary or permanent basis to do employment to the whims of the employer. the household work. Many resort to domestic work ¾¾Unlike work in a formal setting, domestic work notis because of decline of employment opportunities in guided by clear and agreed production or output goals. the agriculture and manufacturing sectors. ¾¾Furthermore, privacy norms do not bode well with ¾¾Domestic work as an economic activity is too vast the idea of regulations (labour inspectors) entering and employs too many to remain unregulated. private households and ensuring regulations. ¾¾However, discussions are underway on a national Need for Protection of Domestic Workers policy for domestic workers, with the aim to protect ¾¾Since domestic workers belong to the unorganized the domestic workers from abuse, harassment, sector, there are no laws safeguarding their rights – no violence and guarantee them rights in the matter of minimum wage requirements, no health or insurance social security and minimum wages. th benefits, and no job security whatsoever. ¾¾India is a signatory to the ILO’s 189 convention, known as the Convention on Domestic Workers; but ¾¾Most of these are from vulnerable communities – has not ratified it yet. Adivasis, Dalits or landless Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Nearly all of them are migrant workers. And Convention on Domestic Workers an overwhelming number are women. This makes ¾¾The 189th ILO ‘Convention on Domestic Workers’, is them . easy to replace, and easier still to exploit a convention settinglabour standards for domestic ¾¾Minimum wage provisions are important instruments workers and was adopted during the 100th session to protect the most vulnerable and lowest-paid workers of the International Labour Organization at Geneva – such as domestic workers – from unduly low wages. in June 2011. ¾¾A minimum wage recognizes the basic contribution ¾¾It is a strong recognition of the economic and social of domestic workers to homes and societies, and is value of domestic work and a call for action to address a key means of ensuring the principle of equal pay the existing exclusions of domestic workers from for work of equal value. labour and social protection.

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¾¾The convention mandates that domestic workers be The Significance of the Conference given daily and weekly rest hours, their payment must ¾¾The conference identified the potential of the blue meet the minimum wage requirement. economy to create employment, combat poverty ¾¾Ratifying states are also required to take protective and hunger. measures against violence against workers and are also ¾¾It brought countries together to learn how economic required to enforce a minimum age for employment. development and healthy waters go hand in hand. ¾¾However, since these provisions are not binding on ¾¾The conference captured concrete commitments and those countries that have not ratified the convention, practical actions that can be taken today to help the India is not obliged to enforce these recommendations. world transition to the blue economy. Conclusion ¾¾The impacts of climate change and plastic pollution in ¾¾Domestic work has enabled many women toenter the oceans and waters has increased the need to develop labour market and benefit from economic autonomy. an inclusive and sustainable blue economy. The large supply of domestic workers in India has India and Blue Economy meant a shift of care responsibilities from women in the households to hired domestic workers who are a ¾¾India has a strategic location in the Indian Ocean predominantly female and largely invisible. Region, and on this basis, it endorses the growth ¾¾There is the need to change the idea that care-giving of the blue economy in a sustainable, inclusive and is a private domestic responsibility unique to women. people-centred manner through the framework of the Indian Ocean Rim Association. ¾¾Hence, the demands for decent work for domestic workers are two pronged - first and foremost, it calls ¾¾Under Sagarmala Programme, India is developing for recognition of therights of domestic workers for maritime infrastructure as well as inland waterways fair terms of employment that are no less favourable and coastal shipping which will revolutionise maritime than those of other workers, and secondly, it calls logistics, creating million new jobs, reduce logistics for the active participation of the state and the costs and bring port-led developments in the country. recognition of the existence of structural inequality ¾¾Development of Coastal Economic Zones (CEZ) under that is perpetuated by not recognizing the sheer Sagarmala, would become a microcosm of the blue weight of ‘care work’. economy, wherein industries and townships that depend on the sea will contribute to global trade. Sustainable Blue ¾¾Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) is India’s vision for the Indian Ocean Region. It aims at Economy Conference sustained, peaceful and yet responsive presence of Indian naval ships in the critical area and choke points The first global conference on the sustainable blue in the Indian ocean. economy was held on 26-28th November in Nairobi, Kenya. ¾¾It was organised by Kenya with Canada and Japan as co-hosts. India made its presence in the conference Global Wage highlighting India’s strategic advantages in Blue Report 2018: ILO Economy. ¾¾The conference builds on the momentum of the UN’s ¾¾For the first time, the Global Wage Report 2018 has 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the 2015 also focused on the global gender pay gap. Climate Change Conference in Paris and the UN Ocean Conference 2017 “Call to Action”. Key Findings What is the Blue Economy? Blue Economy refers to ¾¾Lowest wage growth globally in 2017 since 2008: sustainable use of ocean resources for growth, jobs and €€Globally, the rate of growth in wages in 2017 fell to improved living standards while preserving the ecosystem. its lowest level since 2008, but workers in India had It encompasses areas like maritime transport, fisheries, the highest average real wage growth in Southern renewable energy, waste management, and tourism. Asia of 5.5% over the period 2008-17.

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¾¾Slow wage growth in high-income countries: ¾¾Reducing polarization and occupational segregation €€Wages in developing countries are increasing more may require changing perceptions and stereotypes, for quickly than those in higher-income countries. But example- attract more women into the areas of science, the gaps in wages are wide and the level of wages technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), is still not high enough for people to meet their which offer better-paid employment opportunities. basic needs in developing countries. ¾¾Countries should also look into possible ways to ¾¾Wage growth lagging behind productivity growth in address the undervaluing of women’s work in highly high-income countries: feminized occupations and industries, including by raising wages in the latter. €€Labour productivity has increased more rapidly than real wages due to which the share of labour ¾¾More equitable sharing of family duties between compensation in GDP in many countries remain women and men, as well as adequate childcare and substantially below those of the early 1990s. eldercare services, would in many instances lead to women making different occupational choices. ¾¾Wage inequality highest in low-income countries: €€Countries with the lowest levels of wage inequality Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) are found among the high-income group, whereas ¾¾To support UN’s SDG 8, the Equal Pay International countries with the highest levels of wage inequality Coalition (EPIC), was launched in September 2017 are found in the low- and middle-income groups. as a multi-stakeholder initiative that includes the €€Among high-income countries, wage inequality ILO, UN Women and the OECD. is lowest in Sweden and highest in Chile. Among ¾¾It seeks to achieve equal pay for women and men. low-income and middle-income countries, South ¾¾The UN’s SDG 8 sets the target of “achieving full Africa and Namibia have the highest inequality, and productive employment and decent work for Armenia and Mongolia the lowest. all women and men, including for young people and ¾¾Gender pay gaps represent one of today’s greatest persons with disabilities and equal pay for work of social injustices: equal value” by 2030. €€Women continue to be under-represented in traditionally male-occupied categories and United Nations Shortlists within similar categories, women are consistently paid below men, even if women’s educational Noida, Greater Noida for attainments are just as good or better than those ‘Global Cities’ Initiative of men in similar occupations. €€In high-income countries, the gender pay gap was ¾¾The United Nations officially invited Uttar Pradesh’s at its biggest in top-salaried positions. In low- and Noida and Greater Noida to become a member of its middle-income countries, however, the gap was Global Sustainable Cities 2025 initiativewhich aims widest among lower-paid workers. to create 25 model cities across the world that will €€The lack of programmes supporting women’s be fully compliant with the Sustainable Development return to work after childbirth also contributes to Goals (SDGs) by 2025. the wage penalty that women face when resuming ¾¾The twin-cities in Gautam Buddha Nagar district, work after a prolonged period of absence from have been selected in the “University City” category the labour market. ahead of Mumbai and Bengaluru, which were also €€The wages of both men and women also tend to under UN consideration for the initiative, as the only be lower in enterprises and occupations with a invitee from India. predominantly female workforce. ¾¾Cities are selected from each of the following six categories: University, UN city, Medium (Approx. 500K Way Forward population), Large (Approx. 1 million population), Mega ¾¾Educational policies targeting enrolment rates among (5 million + population), Indigenous Communities. girls may contribute to reducing the gender pay gap ¾¾As part of this initiative, the UN will enter into an in the future. agreement with the city administration to provide

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multi-million dollar funding to work towards realising ¾¾PAiSA is aimed to connect directly with the beneficiaries, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UN will ensuring that there is greater transparency and also sponsor the PhDs of 51 students in Noida who efficiency in delivery of services. contribute to the programme via research. Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban ¾¾Cities selected under the “University City” category will Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) under Ministry of be judged on the basis of how educated its population Housing and Urban Affairs aims toreduce poverty and is, its economy, a high rate of entrepreneurship, and vulnerability of the urban poor households by enabling art and culture that “indicate a vibrant civil society”. them to access gainful self-employment and skilled ¾¾The project is conducted by the UN Global Sustainability wage employment opportunities. Impact Institute (UNGSII). UNGSII was founded in May of 2014. Logix India PAiSA Portal ¾¾Logix India 2019 is scheduled to take place in New Delhi from 31st January to 2nd February 2019. ¾¾A centralized electronic platform named “PAiSA – ¾¾It is being organized by Ministry of Commerce Portal for Affordable Credit and Interest Subvention & Industry and the Federation of Indian Export Access”, has been launched by Ministry of Housing Organisations (FIEO) as an initiative to improve & Urban Affairs. logistics cost effectiveness and operational efficiencies ¾¾The web platform has been designed and developed for India’s global trade. by Allahabad Bank which is the Nodal bank. ¾¾FIEO will also focus on investment opportunities in ¾¾The portal will process interest subvention (subsidy infrastructure development, warehouse consolidation, offered on interest rate) on bank loans tobeneficiaries technology integration and IT enablement and skilling under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban of manpower at the three-day meet. Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM). ¾¾India was ranked 44 in the World Bank’s Logistics ¾¾Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of subvention on monthly Performance Index 2018. Logistics sector will play a basis under DAY-NULM will give the necessary financial key role in enhancing the competitiveness of Indian support to small entrepreneurs in a timely manner. goods in the global markets.

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International Relations

Highlights zz ASEAN Summit, East Asia Summit, RCEP Summit, Quad Meeting (12) zz Kartarpur Corridor (15) zz APEC Fails to Reach Consensus (13) zz India to Step-up Agri-Diplomacy with China (16) zz Prime Minister’s Visit to Maldives (14) zz Konkan Exercise-2018 (16)

¾¾India’s relation with ASEAN is marked by 3 C's Culture, ASEAN Summit, East Commerce and Connectivity.

Asia Summit, RCEP 13th East Asia Summit Summit, Quad Meeting ¾¾India participated in the 13th East Asia Summit. PM recently concluded his visit to Singapore and ¾¾The East Asia Summit (Established: 2005) is a forum attended the ASEAN-India Summit held on sidelines of of 18 countries of the Asia-Pacific region formed to 33rd ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) further the objectives of regional peace, security, Summit, 13th East Asia Summit (EAS) and Regional and prosperity. Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit. ¾¾The members of East Asia Summit consists of 10 ¾¾ Singapore as the current Chair of ASEAN is hosting ASEAN nations (Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, these Summits. Malaysia, The Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, rd ¾¾India also participated in 3 “Quad” Meeting. Cambodia, Brunei, and Laos), and 8 other members-

rd Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South 33 Association of Southeast Korea, Russia, and the US. Asian Nations (ASEAN) Meeting ¾¾There are six priority areas of regional cooperation About ASEAN within the framework of the EAS: Environment and ¾¾The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Energy, Education, Finance, Global Health Issues and ASEAN, was established in 1967 with the signing Pandemic Diseases, Natural Disaster Management, of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration). and ASEAN Connectivity. ¾¾The ASEAN members are Indonesia, Thailand, ¾¾India endorses regional collaboration in all six priority Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, areas. Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei, and Laos. 2nd Regional Comprehensive Economic ¾¾On sidelines of 33rd ASEAN Summit, India-ASEAN Summit was also organized. Partnership (RCEP) Summit ¾¾As strategic partners, India and ASEAN have trade ¾¾Indian Prime Minister participated in the 2nd RCEP and economic relations. Summit and reviewed the progress that has been ¾¾Trade between India and ASEAN stood at around $81 made in the negotiations of RCEP. billion in 2017-18 and constitutes 10% of India’s total trade. Exports to ASEAN countries constitute 11% of India and RCEP India’s total exports. ¾¾Concerns ¾¾In 2017, India and ASEAN celebrated 25 years of their €€The presence of China in RCEP is a matter of concern engagement and the India-ASEAN Commemorative for India as India had $63 billion trade deficit with Summit was held on January 25th, 2017. China in 2017-18.

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¾¾ What is RCEP? The US, Japan, and Australia emphasized “rules-based order” in their statements, which was missing from The RCEP is a mega-regional free trade agreement the Indian statement. which aims to cover goods, services, investments, ¾¾ economic and technical cooperation, competition and A serious discussion took place on Sri Lanka and intellectual property rights. Maldives, both in India’s immediate neighborhood and influenced by China’s expansionism. It is being negotiated amongst 16 countries, comprising 10 ASEAN countries plus six ASEAN FTA Significance of the Meetings partners – India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, ¾¾Such meetings give a platform to India to have a greater and New Zealand. role for the economic integration of the region and zzGranting greater market access to China under to ensure an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. RCEP can harm India’s labor-intensive domestic ¾¾Such meetings help India to take a closer look at industry, steel sector in particular, as China has pressing issues in bilateral relations and the overall been dumping iron and steel products in India. security and economic situation in India’s extended €€Since the start of the RCEP negotiations, India neighbourhood. wanted greater liberalization in the services sector, ¾¾Many of the ten members of the ASEAN perceive especially for easy movement of its professionals India as a much-needed counterbalance to China. to RCEP-member countries. ¾¾India also realises the centrality of ASEAN in its zzMost members have resisted a deal in the services extended neighborhood through its 'Act East Policy'. sector, sensing a threat from China and India. ¾¾India could work on the implementation of €€India is also wary of measures that may lead to its connectivity projects, such as the India-Myanmar- losing the right to produce cheap generic drugs due Thailand trilateral highway, and building new trade to the enforcement of a strict IPR regime related and transport linkages with all the ASEAN states. to patent term extension and data exclusivity. ¾¾Opportunities APEC Fails to Reach Consensus €€RCEP is important for India as it means access to the Asia Pacific region which will be important for its 30th Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit future economic and strategic status in the region. took place in Papua New Guinea. €€Joining RCEP will give a boost to India’s Act East ¾¾For the first time since its inception APEC has Policy which builds on the Look East Policy for a failed to release a joint communique due to lack closer partnership with the Asian region. of consensus among the members over trade and €€RCEP will allow India to expand its trading association security issues. All 20 countries except China agreed with countries like Australia and New Zealand, to the joint statement. with which it has no formal trading partnership due to its absence in the APEC and Transatlantic US-China Targeted Each Other at APEC Trade and Investment Partnership. ¾¾US targeted China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and called it as “constricting belt” and a “One-way Road”. 3rd Quad Meeting ¾¾While urging the nations to support it, US also warned ¾¾It is the grouping of four democracies –India, Australia, smaller countries to be cautious of “debt-trap” by the US, and Japan. China and said not to accept debt which compromise ¾¾The Quad association of members who have a shared sovereignty. objective to ensure and support a “free, open and ¾¾China defended BRI and said that there is no geo- prosperous” Indo-Pacific region and rules-based political agenda behind it and it is not an exclusive global order. club closed to non-members, nor is it a trap. ¾¾Connectivity, counter-terrorism, and cyber security ¾¾China targeted US policy of “America First” and said was the focus of the conversation at the third meeting that erecting barriers and cutting ties isshort-sighted a of the ‘Quad’ countries. approach doomed to fail.

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Consequences Prime Minister’s Visit to Maldives ¾¾On Global Economy €€The U.S.-China discord and trade war could cripple Recently, the Prime Minister of India visited Maldives the Pacific Rim economy. to attend the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. €€Due to the tariff war International Monetary Fund has downgraded its global growth outlook for ¾¾It was the first visit by Mr. Narendra Modi to Maldives 2018 and 2019. in his four years of tenure as PM. ¾¾ €€If this continues, global supply chains will be The visit has given new impetus to the Indian ties with impacted, and shrinking trade volumes may cause Maldives which were facing a number of challenges companies to seek out new trading routes and in last few years. partners. ¾¾The new government has taken few major steps to ensure India its importance in Maldives Affair. ¾¾On Global Institutions ¾¾The Maldives’ new government has decided to pull €€Multilateral rule-making bodies such as the World out of a free trade agreement (FTA) with China which Trade Organisation (WTO) and APEC may lose was signed in December 2017. their authority, and an interlocking system of ¾¾ bilateral trade treaties may substitute the consensus- Maldives government has said that they will follow based approach which came into existence after ‘India First Policy’. World War 2. ¾¾Indian military choppers, which were gifted by India to Maldives will not be returned to India. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ¾¾Maldives strategic return to India and its underlying ¾¾Established: 1989 democratic values could now prevent the economic ¾¾Members: 21 crisis that Maldives will face when China will ask ¾¾India is not a Member. Maldives to pay back its debt. ¾¾Member Nations: ¾¾PM also held a brief bilateral talk with the newly elected President after the ceremony. Outcome of talks: €€The members are: €€Both expressed the importance of maintaining zzAustralia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; peace and security in Indian ocean. Indonesia; Japan; Korea; Malaysia; New €€Both countries decided to be mindful of each other's Zealand; the Philippines; Singapore; Thailand; concerns and aspirations for stability of region. United States, China; Hong Kong, China; Chinese Taipei, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, €€Both countries have decided to show commitment and support for increased cooperation in combating Chile, Peru, Russia and Vietnam. terrorism within the region and elsewhere. ¾¾In 1994 during Bogor, Indonesia summit, APEC sets the Bogor Goals of “free and open trade India-Maldives Relation and investment in the Asia-Pacific by 2010 for ¾¾India and the Maldives share deep historical, cultural, industrialized economies and 2020 for developing and economic ties. economies.” ¾¾India was among the first to recognize the Maldives ¾¾ India has requested membership in APEC, and after its independence in 1965 and to establish received initial support from the United States, diplomatic relations with the country.India established Japan, Australia and Papua New Guinea. Officials its mission at Malé in 1972. have decided not to allow India to join as India ¾¾Importance of the Maldives for India: does not border the Pacific Ocean, which all current €€Maldives is an important aspect of India’s members do. ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy. ¾¾India was invited to be an observer for the first €€Strategically located in the Indian Ocean, Maldives time in November 2011. archipelago, which comprises 1200 coral Islands

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lies next to key shipping lanes which ensure ¾¾The Kartarpur Corridor, which will provide visa-free uninterrupted energy supplies to countries like access to the shrine when it becomes ready on both China, Japan, and India. sides, may need a separate treaty. €€More than 97% of India’s international trade by volume and 75% by value passes through the Significance region. ¾¾The Kartarpur Sahib corridor was first proposed in €€As the pre-eminent South Asian power and a ‘net 1999 when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee took security provider’ in the Indian Ocean region, a bus ride to Lahore. India needs to cooperate with the Maldives in ¾¾The Kartarpur corridor will be implemented as an security and defense sectors. integrated development project with Government €€India is also a preferred destination for Maldivians of India funding. The development comes ahead of for education, medical treatment, recreation, and the 550th Prakash Purab or 550th birth anniversary business. of Guru Nanak in 2019. ¾¾ €€Maldives is also a member of SAARC. It is important It will allow Indian devotees to visit Kartarpur shrine for India to have the Maldives on board to maintain located 2 km inside Pakistan in Narowal district. its leadership in the region. ¾¾Until now, most Indian devotees have had to contend €€Since China’s naval expansion into the Indian Ocean with a darshan using binoculars installed at Dera - Maldives’ significance has steadily grown and Baba Nanak Sahib. now it’s at the heart of international geopolitics. ¾¾India has also asked Pakistan to develop the corridor with suitable facilities in its territory from the €€There is significant Indian diaspora in Maldives. Innumerable Indians work across the hospitality, International Border to facilitate easier access of Indian pilgrims. education, and health-care sectors of the Maldives economy. ¾¾The forward movement on the Kartarpur corridor can be considered a big development since despite the India-Pakistan deadlock in talks, both New Delhi Kartarpur Corridor and Islamabad have been able to form a consensus on the issue. The Union cabinet has approved the construction of a 'corridor' linking India with the historic Kartarpur Additional Information Gurdwara on the banks of the Ravi river, in Pakistan. ¾¾Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti is observed on the full-moon ¾¾Kartarpur Gurudwara is the revered shrine across day in the month of Katak to celebrate the birth of the border where Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539), who is the first of Sikhism spent the last 18 years of his life. the 10 Sikh Gurus and the founder of Sikhism. He ¾¾The corridor will connect the holy shrines of Dera Baba advocated the 'Nirguna' form of Bhakti. Nanak Sahib in Gurdaspur district of Punjab in India ¾¾He rejected sacrifices, ritual baths, image worship, with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur in Pakistan. austerities and the scriptures of both Hindus and ¾¾The length of the corridor is about 4 km (2 km on Muslims. either side of the international border). ¾¾He organised his followers into a community. He set ¾¾The Pakistan government has also decided to open up rules for congregational worship (Sangat) involving the corridor. collective recitation. ¾¾The corridor will commemorate the 550th birth ¾¾He appointed one of his disciples, Angad, to succeed anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. him as the preceptor (Guru), and this practice was ¾¾Pilgrimages between India and Pakistan are governed followed for nearly 200 years. by the 1974 Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, ¾¾The fifth preceptor, Guru Arjan, compiled Baba Guru which includes a list of shrines in Pakistan and India Nanak’s hymns along with those of his four successors open for visitors from the other country, and for and other religious poets like Baba Farid, Ravidas which visas are required. (also known as Raidas) and Kabir in the Adi Granth

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Sahib. These hymns, called 'Gurbani', are composed €€India is hoping to take advantage of the Sino-US in many languages. trade war by exporting more soybean produce ¾¾In the late seventeenth century the tenth preceptor, to China. Guru Gobind Singh, included the compositions of the ninth guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, and this scripture Steps taken to Cover Trade Deficit was called the Guru Granth Sahib. ¾¾During Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) ¾¾Guru Gobind Singh also laid the foundation of the Summit in Qingdao in 2018, India and China signed Khalsa Panth (army of the pure) and defined its five an agreement to include the export of non-Basmati symbols: uncut hair, a dagger, a pair of shorts, a comb varieties of rice from India. China is a $1.5-$2 billion and a steel bangle. Under him, the community got market for Indian rice consolidated as a socio-religious and military force. ¾¾India has also signed an agreement with China to increase the export of sugar from India. India to Step-up Way Forward Agri-Diplomacy with China ¾¾If India has to cover the huge trade deficit with China, India is looking forward to increase agricultural it has to look beyond agri-diplomacy. exports to China, as China looks to diversify its agricultural ¾¾There are many areas in which trade with China can be imports. increased to cover trade deficit like pharmaceuticals, information technology services and tourism, in Reasons For India's "Agri-Diplomacy" which India has a significant global footprint, but a ¾¾Trade Deficit minuscule presence in China. €€India is looking for ways to bridge the huge trade ¾¾At domestic front, India has to take significant deficit of more than $60 billion with China. efforts like modernization of agriculture to make it €€China accounted for about 39% of India’s trade competitive at global level, the high price of India's deficit in 2017-18. farming products is a major obstacle. €€India’s total trade with China reached over $89 billion in 2017-18, of which Chinese exports to Konkan Exercise-2018 India were around $76 billion. ¾¾US-China Trade War ¾¾The Bilateral KONKAN exercise is a naval exercise €€Both the US and China are imposing tariffs on each conducted between India and the United Kingdom. other. Hence, China is now opening up to non-US ¾¾The Exercise provides a platform for the two navies imports in order to diversify its import basket. to build interoperability and share best practices. €€Beijing recently imposed new tariffs on many ¾¾The KONKAN series of exercises was started in 2004. American farm produce, including soybeans, corn, Since then, the exercise is hosted in rotation by both wheat, cotton, rice, sorghum, beef, pork, poultry, the Navies and has grown in complexity, scale, and fish, dairy products, nuts and vegetables. intensity.

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Science and Technology

Highlights zz India to Study Marijuana-Derived Drugs (17) zz Solar Bubble Dryer (24) zz GROWTH-India’s First Robotic Telescope (19) zz Matibabu Device (24) zz New Super-Earth Discovered (20) zz Plane Flying With No Moving Parts (24) zz Guidelines for Reduction of Trans Fatty Acids (20) zz Satellite HysIS (24) zz Government Allows Ethanol Extraction for Blending from zz InSight on Mars (25) Foodgrains (21) zz World's First Gene Edited Babies (26) zz KG Gets a New Definition (22) zz Innovation Cell for Higher Education Institutions (26) zz Arecibo Message (23)

is illegal for commercial cultivation though it grows India to Study as weed in several parts of the country. Uttarakhand, Marijuana-Derived Drugs Jammu and — recently Uttar Pradesh — have allowed restricted cultivation of the plant for medical research. Three major science administrators in India — The ¾¾The Marijuana has two components CBD (cannabidiol) Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the ¾¾CBD does not cause intoxication or euphoria Department of Biotechnology — are getting together to and has been successfully proven to provide relief promote research in some of which involve herbal drugs, to chronic pain without causing psychoactive side deriving new drugs from marijuana. effects. ¾¾Scientists are preparing for India’s first human clinical ¾¾It is THC which is the primary psychoactive components trials to test cannabis-based compounds on select of Marijuana. diseases. ¾¾Researchers will test whether strains of marijuana The 1985 Narcotic Drugs could be effective in the treatment of breast cancer, and Psychoactive Substances Act sickle-cell anaemia as well as for “bioequivalent” (similar in makeup and effect) to marijuana-derived ¾¾The NDPS Act 1985 bans commercial cultivation of drugs already approved by the United States Food cannabis. and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA). ¾¾The bar does not apply to an edible preparation ¾¾The studies into the therapeutic potential of marijuana is called bhang, which is allowed in some States. part of a governmental thrust to produce new drugs derived 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs from herbs and plants that find mention in Ayurvedic and other traditional medicine knowledge systems. ¾¾The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 ¾¾India’s move towards clinical trials of cannabis is an international treaty to prohibit production and derivatives comes amid growing evidence of the safety supply of specific (nominally narcotic) drugs and of and efficacy of medicinal cannabis in the treatment drugs with similar effects except under licence for of cancer, multiple sclerosis and a rare but severe specific purposes, such as medical treatment and form of epilepsy. research. ¾¾The Single Convention refers to drug addiction as“a Marijuana or Hemp serious evil for the individual [that] is fraught with ¾¾Marijuana (or hemp), part of the cannabis super-family, social and economic danger to mankind”.

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Marijuana Legalisation Debate regulated by the various state excise departments and legally sold by licensed shops. ¾¾Cannabis has been recognised for its medical use in 29 out of 51 US States, Canada, Australia and a €€Less Health Risk when compared to Alcohol significant number of another 20-odd countries across zzWHO study concluded that the public health the world. In India, however, cannabis-derived drugs risks from cannabis use are likely to be less are unavailable, illegal and cannot be prescribed by severe than those posed by alcohol and tobacco, doctors. which are legal. ¾¾Apart from medical purposes, the cultural and economic €€Business and Economic Possibilities significance have been used as an argument in the zzThe legal marijuana market is currently worth favour of cannabis legalization. more than $7 billion globally, and is expected ¾¾Marijuana Should Be Legalized to hit $31 billion by 2021. €€Legalisation will curb crime zzThe fabric produced from hemp is of very zzEvidence suggests that strict enforcement of high quality. Hemp is also highly suitable as the narcotics law based on prohibition tends a technical fibre. India also has many startups to target the most defenceless members along working in this field like The mumbai-based the drug smuggling chain. The Bombay Hemp Co. (BOHECO). ¾¾ zzProhibition strengthens the cartels they should be Marijuana Should Remain Illegal targeting. The big cartels and traffickers remain €€Marijuana Causes Psychosis out of reach of the regular law enforcement zzMarijuana can trigger mental health related machinery. issues in its users. THC in marijuana has been zzFilling jails with drug users and street-level proved to cause psychosis. suppliers only stresses the criminal justice zzThose who use it as adolescents or at younger system. age may be more likely to develop mental zzLegalization will also enhances security for all of health problems later in life. In some cases, it society, as it helps undermine criminal markets. can also make people feel nauseous, lethargic, zzDue to the drug’s illegality, cannabis are sold forgetful, anxious, or confused. underground and is a source of revenue for €€Marijuana is a gateway drug criminal gangs and terrorist organizations. zzCannabis has been engineered to become €€Cultural and Historical Significance much more potent and addictive. Growers zzThe documented use of cannabis in India dates have decreased level of CBD and increased back to the Vedic period. In the Atharva-veda, level of THC. the ‘bhang’ plant finds a notable mention as one zzA vulnerable person who will abuse it as a of nature’s five sacred, distress-relieving plants. gateway drug before moving to more dangerous During the festival of Holi, the consumption of substances. In a study it was found that 45% who bhang is an integral part of the celebrations used marijuana also used other ‘Hard’ drugs. even today. €€Marijuana damages organs zzIndian Hemp Drugs Commission in 1894 found zzThe World Health Organization has listed consumption of cannabis in colonial India a number of diseases associated with the extensive and determined that its use was very consumption of marijuana, includingimpairment ancient, had some religious sanction, and was in cognitive functioning, airway injury, bronchitis harmless in moderation. and lung inflammation. zzThe commission recommended against complete €€Regulations difficult to enforce ban on its consumption as it can push consumer zzIf marijuana is easily available at a pharmacy on towards other hard drugs. prescription (like in the US). It will be difficult zzUntil 1985, when NDPS Act was enacted, cannabis for government to assess if it's bought for derivatives — bhang, charas and ganja — were recreational purpose. Considering, cough syrups

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and inhalants are freely accessible and brought ¾¾The telescope also has the badge of being housed in the incessantly by addicts. one of the world’s highest astronomical observatories at 4,500 meters. Way Forward ¾¾The 70 cm robotic telescope joins other larger facilities ¾¾Prohibiting and making it illegal has not prevented at IAO in Hanle - the Himalayan Chandra Telescope, the availability of marijuana in the market nor its the gamma-ray array telescope (HAGAR), and the use by people. imaging Cherenkov telescope (MACE). ¾¾The potential risks that cannabis poses illustrate why it is necessary to legally regulate this drug. Rather Global Relay of Observatories Watching than leaving the trade of cannabis in the hands of Transients Happen (GROWTH) an unregulated criminal market, the drug should be ¾¾The GROWTH program is a 5 year project, funded safely produced by competent farmers, packaged and by the National Science Foundation (NSF). NSF is a tested in suitable facilities, and sold by reputable and United States government agency whose mission licensed vendors. includes support for all fields of fundamental science ¾¾Regulation allows cannabis buyers to know what they and engineering, except for medical sciences. are consuming and moderate their intake in accordance ¾¾It is an international collaborative network of with the THC level in the marketed marijuana. astronomers and telescopes dedicated to the study of ¾¾Imposing tax on cannabis sales can create revenue for short-lived cosmic transients and near-earth asteroids. the state. Tax collected could be spent on educating ¾¾Cosmic transients are energetic flashes of light that people about the risks of cannabis use, like public are millions to billions of times the brightness of the service information on alcohol and tobacco. sun, e.g. explosive deaths of massive stars, white dwarf detonations, etc. GROWTH-India’s First Robotic Telescope India’s first robotic telescope and the first one designed to observe dynamic or transient events in the universe has started observing the skies. ¾¾The telescope is located at the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) at Hanle in Ladakh. ¾¾The telescope is a joint project of the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB). ¾¾Key follow-up observations of fast-fading or fast-moving ¾¾It is fully funded by the Science and Engineering events must occur at night promptly after discovery Research Board (SERB) of the Department of Science but before the sun rises. and Technology (DST) under the Partnerships for ¾¾Therefore, a relay or network of telescopes spanning International Research and Education (PIRE) project, multiple longitudes (time-zones) on earth is required administered by Indo US Science and Technology Forum. to pass the baton amongst each other to effectively €€The primary goal of PIRE is to support high quality extend the night-time darkness. projects in which advances in research and education ¾¾GROWTH enables detailed monitoring of events that could not occur without international collaboration. would otherwise vanish before the next night. ¾¾Called GROWTH-India, the facility at Hanle is part ¾¾Its goals are threefold: of a multi-country collaborative initiative known as €€Search for explosions in the optical regime Global Relay of Observatories Watching Transients whenever Laser Interferometer Gravitational- Happen (GROWTH) to observe transient events in wave Observatory (LIGO) group detects a Binary the universe. Neutron Star merger.

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€€Study nearby young supernova explosions. Radial Velocity Method €€Study nearby asteroids. ¾¾The researchers used the radial velocity method also ¾¾Universities and research institutes from the US, the known as Doppler spectroscopy during observations UK, Japan, India, Germany, Taiwan and Israel are part that led to the discovery of Barnard’s star b. of the initiative. ¾¾This technique detects wobbles (fluctuations) in a star which are likely to be caused by the gravitational New Super-Earth Discovered pull of an orbiting planet. ¾¾These wobbles affect the light coming from the star. A newly published research paper has reported the As the star moves towards the Earth its spectrum discovery of a planet through radial velocity method in appears slightly shifted towards the blue and, as it orbit around one of the closest stars to the Sun, Barnard’s moves away, it is shifted towards the red. star. ¾¾This is the first time that this technique has been ¾¾ The potentially rocky planet is known as Barnard’s used to detect a planet this small so far away from star b. its host star. Barnard’s star ¾¾At nearly 6 light years away, Barnard’s star is the next Guidelines for Reduction closest star to the Sun after the Alpha Centauri triple of Trans Fatty Acids system(Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B, Alpha Centauri C or Proxima Centauri). The Health Department and the Food Safety wing ¾¾It is a type of faint, low-mass star called a red dwarf. have launched an initiative to enforce dietary guidelines, Red dwarfs are considered to be the best places involving the reduction of trans fatty acids (TFAs), salt to look for exoplanets (planets outside our Solar and sugar in commercially available foods in Kerala. System). ¾¾The initiative is being launched with technical support from the World Bank, WHO and the Food Safety and Barnard’s star b Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Unhealthy diet is ¾¾Barnard’s star b is a ‘Super-Earth’ with a mass of at pushing up Metabolic Syndrome (MS) and premature least 3.2 times that of the Earth, and it orbits around deaths due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) Barnard’s star once every 233 days. among Keralites. ¾¾Super Earth is just a planet with more mass than Earth, ¾¾Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a cluster of metabolic but less than a larger planet like Uranus or Neptune. abnormalities — high blood pressure, high blood ¾¾Barnard’s star b is the second-closest known exoplanet sugar, abdominal obesity, abnormal cholesterol or to the Sun after Proxima b (discovered in 2016) orbiting triglyceride levels — that occur together, raising risk around the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri. of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. ¾¾Earlier, Kerala also announced a 14.5% “fat tax” on Significance pizzas, burgers, sandwiches and tacos sold through ¾¾The planet lies at a distance from the star in a region branded outlets, in sync with the World Health that is known as the 'snow line', that is, beyond the Organization’s advocacy of using fiscal tools to promote habitable zone in which liquid water, and possibly healthy eating. life, could exist. ¾¾WHO recommends that trans fat intake be limited ¾¾The planet’s surface temperature is estimated to be to less than 1% of total energy intake and has called around –170°C, meaning it is likely to be a frozen for the total elimination of TFAs in global food supply world. Such conditions would make it uninviting to by 2023. Earth-like life. ¾¾However, if the planet has a substantial atmosphere, Trans-fats the temperature could be higher and thus conditions ¾¾There are two types of trans-fats found in foods- could be potentially more hospitable. naturally occurring and artificial trans-fats.

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¾¾Naturally occurring trans- fats are produced in the gut of some animals and foods made from these animals may contain small quantities of these fats. ¾¾Artificial trans-fats on the other hand are created by the process hydrogenation, which is an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid at room temperature. ¾¾The primary dietary source of trans-fats in processed foods is partially hydrogenated oils. Trans- fats are easy to use, eliminating industrially produced trans fat by 2022 inexpensive to produce and last a long time. They in advance of the WHO target date of 2023. help give foods a desirable taste and texture. ¾¾In 2017, India implemented a mandatory limit of 5% ¾¾Some of the most basic and most consumed foods trans fat content in fats/oils only. that we generally eat almost on a daily basis may include- cakes, pies, cookies, biscuits, margarine, Food Safety and cream-filled candies, fried fast foods, doughnuts, etc. Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) ¾¾REPLACE, which is an acronym for Review, Promote, ¾¾The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India Legislate, Assess, Create and Enforce, is the first global (FSSAI) has been established under Food Safety and initiative to eliminate a risk factor for cardiovascular Standards Act, 2006 which consolidates various acts & disease. It is a World Health Organisation (WHO) six orders that have hitherto handled food related issues step Action Package and guide to global elimination in various Ministries and Departments. of trans fat. ¾¾Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government ¾¾Denmark was the first country to ban trans fat in 2003 of India is the Administrative Ministry for the and in three years, their Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) implementation of FSSAI. The Chairperson is in the rank of Secretary to Government of India. mortality rates plummeted. ¾¾FSSAI has been created for laying down science-based ¾¾As part of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, the standards for articles of food and to regulate their global community has committed to reducing premature manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import death from non-communicable diseases by one-third by to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for 2030 (Goal 3). Global elimination of industrially-produced human consumption. trans fats will help achieve this goal. ¾¾Given India’s disease burden of non-communicable diseases and also the urban movement towards Government Allows healthier foods, this movement is vital for the country Ethanol Extraction for to prevent diseases, and the compromised quality of life and deaths caused due to trans fats. Blending from Foodgrains ¾¾Fortunately, the Food Safety and Standards Authority The Central Government has extended the ambit of of India (FSSAI) has indicated it's commitment to the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme to extract

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the fuel from surplus quantities of food grains such as Concerns maize, jawar, bajra fruit and vegetable waste. ¾¾Under the EBP programme, the Centre has asked ¾¾Till now, only excess sugarcane production was allowed the oil marketing companies (OMCs) to target 10% to be converted into ethanol for procurement under blending of ethanol with petrol by 2022. However, the fuel blending programme. there is a major shortfall in the availability of ethanol as sugar mills currently tap only ‘C-heavy’ molasses Importance for ethanol production. ¾¾It will enable farmers to make additional money ¾¾The fuel requirements can compete with food from surplus production and broaden the sources requirements and that only surplus food crops should for producing ethanol for the EBP programme. be used for fuel production, if at all. ¾¾Will help in reducing vehicle exhaust emissions and ¾¾The annual capacity of biorefinery is still not also to reduce the import burden on account of crude enough to meet the 5% petrol-ethanol blending petroleum from which petrol is produced. requirement. ¾¾It is estimated that a 5% blending (105 crore litres) can result in replacement of around 1.8 million Barrels Way Forward of crude oil. ¾¾There should be Increase in the ethanol production ¾¾The renewable ethanol content is expected to capacity of bio-refineries. result in a net reduction in the emission of carbon ¾¾Alternatives like rd3 generation (derived from algae) dioxide, carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons and 4th generation biofuels (derived from specially (HC). engineered plants or biomass) should be encouraged. ¾¾Ethanol itself burns cleaner and burns more completely than petrol it is blended into. KG Gets a New Definition Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP) At the General Conference on Weights and Measures ¾¾It aims at blending ethanol with petrol, thereby (CGPM) in Versailles (France), delegates of International bringing it under the category of biofuels and saving Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) voted to redefine millions of dollars by cutting fuel imports. the kilogram in terms of a tiny but unchanging value called ¾¾The Government has also reduced GST on ethanol the "Planck constant". for blending in fuel from 18% to 5%. ¾¾The new definition involves an apparatus called the Kibble balance, which makes use of the constant National Policy on Bio-fuels to measure the mass of an object using a precisely ¾¾The National Policy on Bio-fuels 2018 has empowered measured electromagnetic force. the National Bio-fuel Coordination Committee (NBCC) ¾¾They also voted to update definitions for the ampere to allow conversion of surplus quantities of food- (the unit of electrical current), the Kelvin (the unit of grains for production of ethanol during an agriculture temperature) and the mole (amount of a substance). crop year when there is projected oversupply of ¾¾The new definitions agreed by the BIPM will come food-grains. into force from May 20, 2019. ¾¾The objective of the Bio- fuel policy is to achieve 20% ethanol-blending and 5% biodiesel-blending Background by the year 2030. ¾¾Since the 19th century, scientists have based their ¾¾The policy also expands the scope of feedstock for definition of the fundamental unit of mass on a ethanol production and has provided for incentives physical object — a shining platinum-iridium cylinder for production of advanced bio-fuels. or Le Grand K (weighed exactly a kilogram) known as National Biofuel Coordination Committee is headed the International Prototype of the Kilogram. by – Prime-Minister to provide policy guidance and ¾¾It is housed at the headquarters of BIPM in Sevres, coordination. France.

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¾¾All modern mass measur- ements are derived from the kilogram, whether micrograms of pharmaceutical medicine or gold dust, kilos of fruit or fish or tonnes of steel. ¾¾The problem is the prototype doesn't always weigh the same. Even inside its three glass bell jars it picks up microparticles of dirt and is affected by the atmosphere. Sometimes it needs cleaning, which can affect its mass. BIPM and CGPM New Concepts ¾¾The Metre Convention is the treaty that created the ¾¾Since 1967, the second has been defined as the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), time it takes for a certain amount of energy to be an intergovernmental organization under the authority released as radiation from atoms of Caesium-133. of the General Conference on Weights and Measures This became the basis of all measures of time and is (CGPM) and the supervision of the International used in atomic clocks. Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM). ¾¾Once the second was defined, the metre fell into ¾¾The Convention was signed in Paris on 20 May place. This was based on another universal constant: 1875 by representatives of seventeen nations. the speed of light. Today, the metre is defined as the The Metre Convention established a permanent distance travelled by light in vacuum in 1/299,792,458 organizational structure for member governments of a second (which is already defined). to act in common accord on all matters relating to ¾¾The kilogram comes next. The Planck constant, which units of measurement. Kilogram is based on, is usually measured in joule ¾¾In 1889 the 1st CGPM sanctioned the international seconds, but this can also be expressed as kilogram prototypes for the metre and the kilogram. Together square metres per second. with the astronomical second as the unit of time, these ¾¾By adding measurements of a second and a metre, units constituted a three-dimensional mechanical along with an exact knowledge of Planck’s constant, unit system similar to the CGS system (centimetre– precise definition of the kilogram can be obtained. gram–second system). ¾¾The 10th CGPM, in 1954, approved the introduction Conclusion of the ampere, the Kelvin and the candela as base ¾¾The new definition of the second helped ease units, respectively, for electric current, thermodynamic communication across the world via technologies like temperature and luminous intensity. GPS and the Internet. In the same way, experts say the ¾¾The name International System of Units, with the change in the kilogram will be better for technology, abbreviation SI, was given to the system by the 11th retail and health. CGPM in 1960. ¾¾In daily life, however, the new SI units will have little ¾¾At the 14th CGPM in 1971, the current version of the immediate practical consequence SI was completed by adding the mole as the base unit ¾¾Defining the units based on physical constants means for amount of substance, bringing the total number that scientists will be able to measure them at any of base units to seven. place or time, and on any scale. ¾¾India became a signatory to the General Conference ¾¾This will pave the way for far more accurate on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in 1957. measurements and lays a more stable foundation ¾¾As of 7 August 2018, there are 60 Member States of for science. BIPM including India.

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¾¾The result is available within a minute and sent to a Arecibo Message mobile phone which is linked to the device. ¾¾ ¾¾The Arecibo message is a 1974 interstellar radio Another key feature is that one does not require message carrying basic information about humanity specialized training to use the device. and Earth from Puerto Rico. November 16, 2018, ¾¾‘Matibabu’ can provide an easy diagnosis of malaria marks 44 years since researchers sent humankind’s in low-income areas such as Uganda. first interstellar radio message. ¾¾The device and application won the first prize at ‘Africa ¾¾The transmission consisted of a simple, pictorial Prize for Engineering Innovation’ 2018 — an award message and was aimed at a cluster of roughly 300,000 dedicated to engineering innovation on the continent. stars known as M13 located 25,000 light years away. ¾¾‘Matibabu’ has also been mentioned in Time magazine ¾¾The broadcast marked the first time a human being as one of 50 best inventions of 2018. had intentionally transmitted a message targeting another solar system. Plane Flying With No Moving Parts Solar Bubble Dryer ¾¾In a revolutionary change, Massachusetts Institute ¾¾An innovative drying technology, Solar Bubble Dryer of Technology (MIT) engineers have built and flown (SBD), developed jointly by International Rice Research a prototype plane with no moving parts. Institute (IRRI), Philippines; Grainpro, a leading post- ¾¾Instead of propellers or turbines, the aircraft is powered harvest solution providing company; and University by electrohydrodynamic thrust or the so-called of Hohenheim, Germany, was introduced to farmers “ionic wind”, a phenomenon first identified in the in Odisha. 1960s. ¾¾The SBD is a low-cost drying technology that aims to ¾¾When a current passes between two electrodes, it provide a simple and flexible alternative to sun-drying creates a wind in the air between. If enough voltage while protecting from spillage, animals, weather and is applied, the resulting “ionic wind” can produce a vehicles running over the grains. thrust without the help of motors or fuel and power ¾¾The new technology has been developed in such a a small plane. way that farmers can dismantle the machinery and ¾¾Earlier, BAE Systems and the University of Manchester reassemble it on their own. Power can be drawn both had successfully completed the first phase of flight from solar energy and traditional electricity. trials with MAGMA, a small-scale unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which does away with the need for Matibabu Device mechanical moving parts used to move flaps to control the aircraft during flight. ¾¾It is a non-invasive test kit used to detect malaria. ¾¾It is a low cost and reusable device that could be Satellite HysIS used to test for malaria instantly. It was developed in Uganda. ISRO launched rocket PSLV-C43 carrying India’s earth ¾¾This device is called ‘Matibabu’, a word in Swahili observation satellite Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite which means “treatment”. (HysIS) and 30 co-passenger satellites from Sriharikota ¾¾Unlike current testing methods that require blood on November 29. to be drawn for testing, ‘Matibabu’ is “bloodless”. ¾¾The co-passengers of HysIS include one micro and ¾¾The device is clipped onto a finger and ‘using light and 29 nano satellites from eight different countries. magnetism, a red beam of light scans the finger to ¾¾The satellite has been projected into a polar detect changes in the colour, shape and concentration synchronous orbit. of red blood cells — all of which are often affected ¾¾HysIS is ISRO's first full-scale working satellite with when the malaria parasite is present in the body’. Hyper-spectral imaging capability.

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¾¾The space agency tested hyperspectral imaging technology in April 2008, a small 83-kg demonstration microsatellite called IMS-1 (Indian Mini Satellite-1) was launched as a secondary passenger with Cartosat-2A. ¾¾In October, 2008, it put a HySI or Hyperspectral Imager ¾¾InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, on the Chandrayaan-1 and used it to scan Moon's Geodesy and Heat Transport) is on a 24-month surface for minerals. mission. ¾¾InSight will study the interior of Mars. Significance of HysIS ¾¾The landing site is Elysium Planitia (a flat-smooth ¾¾The primary goal of HysIS is to study the Earth’s plain just north of the equator considered to be surface in visible, near-infrared and shortwave the perfect location from which to study the deep infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Martian interior), where InSight can stay still and ¾¾Hyperspectral imaging satellite can see in 55 spectral quiet all through. or colour bands from 630 km above ground. ¾¾It is NASA’s first attempt to touchdown on Mars since ¾¾‘Hyspex’ imaging allows distinct identification of the Curiosity rover arrived in 2012. objects, materials or processes on Earth by reading ¾¾From Earth, NASA team will be monitoring radio the spectrum for each pixel of a scene from space. signals using a variety of spacecraft — and even radio ¾¾The satellite’s data will be useful in many fields including telescopes on Earth. agriculture, forestry, soil survey, studies of Earth’s magnetic field, coastal zone studies, inland water Significance studies, environmental monitoring and pollution detection from industries. ¾¾The mission seeks to answer critical questions about rocky planet formation in the early days of InSight on Mars the solar system. ¾¾The InSight mission will bring several martian “firsts” to After a seven-month journey, NASA’s Mars InSight interplanetary science, including the firstseismometer probe has reached its destination and touched down near situated on the surface, to detect and analyze waves the red planet’s equator. created by “marsquakes”.

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¾¾Measuring Marsquakes will give information on Mars’ These technologies allow genetic material to be internal structure and reveal more information like the added, removed, or altered at particular locations smaller size and lesser density of Mars as compared in the genome. to Earth and Venus. ¾¾Gene Editing is widely practised in agriculture, to ¾¾With InSight, scientists hope to compare Earth to increase productivity or resistance to diseases, etc. Mars, and better understand how a planet’s starting materials make it more or less likely to support life. What is CRISPR? ¾¾Mission scientists will use antennas on the lander to ¾¾Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic track its position todeduce how much Mars wobbles Repeats (CRISPR) is a gene editing technology, which on its axis. The amount of wobble reflects the size of replicates natural defence mechanism in bacteria to the planet’s core and whether it is molten or solid. fight virus attacks, using a special protein called Cas9. ¾¾Earth’s rotating iron core generates the magnetic ¾¾CRISPR-Cas9 technology behaves like a cut-and-paste field which prevents the atmosphere from being mechanism on DNA strands that contain genetic stripped away by high-energy particles in the solar information. The specific location of the genetic codes wind, thereby shielding life from harmful radiation, that need to be changed, or edited, is identified on ¾¾However, Mars lost its magnetic field and much of the DNA strand, and then, using the Cas9 protein, its atmosphere, causing temperatures to drop and which acts like a pair of scissors, that location is cut exposing the surface to intense radiation. InSight off from the strand. may help explain this anomaly. ¾¾A DNA strand, when broken, has a natural tendency to repair itself. Scientists intervene during this auto- World's First Gene Edited Babies repair process, supplying the desired sequence of genetic codes that binds itself with the broken A Chinese researcher, He Jiankui, has claimed that DNA strand. he used CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) to produce the world’s first gene- Applications and Potential Impact edited babies. ¾¾The CRISPR technology can be used in treatment ¾¾He said that he altered the genes of a pair of twins of wide variety of diseases, including single-gene while they were embryos to make them resistant to disorders such as cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. sickle cell disease. ¾¾Many scientists have called this experiment as unethical. ¾¾It can be used for the treatment and prevention of As there are serious unanswered questions about the more complex diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, safety of embryo editing. mental illness, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. What is a Gene? ¾¾Leading scientists in the field have for long been ¾¾Genes are made up of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid ). calling for a “global pause” on clinical applications of ¾¾Genes contain the bio-information that defines any the technology in human beings, till the formulation individual. Physical attributes like height, skin or and adoption of internationally accepted protocols hair colour, more subtle features like intelligence or on the issue. eyesight, susceptibility to certain diseases, and even ¾¾The current international consensus is that editing behavioural traits can be attributed to information ‘germ line’ (or reproductive) cells of healthy humans encoded in the genetic material. is unethical and should only be used as a last resort as it could mean introducing unknown and potentially What is Gene Editing? harmful changes in subsequent generations and even ¾¾Gene editing is also called as genetic modification, entire populations. genetic manipulation or genetic engineering. ¾¾This technology also raises serious ethical questions ¾¾Genome editing is a group of technologies that give like designer babies and changing genes without the scientists the ability to change an organism's DNA. informed consent of future generation.

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Innovation Cell for Higher ¾¾The central funding (in the ratio of 60:40 for general category States, 90:10 for special category states Education Institutions and 100% for union territories) would be norm based and outcome dependent. ¾¾The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has established an innovation cell at the All India Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) Council for Technical Education (AICTE) with an aim ¾¾AIM is NITI Aayog’s flagship initiative to promote to brainstorm new ideas about promoting innovation a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in in all higher education institutions across India. India. ¾¾Already, more than 1000 Higher Education Institutions ¾¾AIM has been established to create and promote (HEIs) have formed Institution’s Innovation Councils an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship (IICs) in their campuses to promote innovation in a holistic manner through various initiatives at through multitudinous modes leading to an innovation school, university and industry levels. promotion eco-system in their campuses. ¾¾AIM also serves as a platform for promotion of world- Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) class Innovation Hubs, Grand Challenges, Start-up ¾¾RUSA is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), businesses and other self-employment activities launched in 2013 aims at providing strategic funding in India, leveraging state of the art, advanced and to eligible state higher educational institutions. affordable emerging technologies.

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Environment and Ecology

Highlights zz Greenhouse Gas Levels Reach Record Highs: UN Report (28) zz Parambikulam Tiger Reserve (37) zz Invasive Plant Species Introduced by Kerala Floods (29) zz Rare Bird Sighted in Chinnar Sanctuary (37) zz Atmospheric Geoengineering Experiment to Curb Global Warming (30) zz Horned Frogs Discovered by DU Team (37) zz Andaman & Nicobar Islands’ Rich Faunal Diversity (31) zz India's First Elephant Hospital in Mathura (37) zz IMO Guidelines on Shipping Fuel (33) zz Elephant Corridors as ESZ (37) zz BASIC Nations Push for ‘Climate Finance’ (34) zz Saltwater Crocodile Sighted in AP (38) zz World’s First Online Climate Summit (35) zz Atmosphere & Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems zz UN Environment Award for India (36) & Services (ACROSS) (38) zz Ortolan Bunting in India (36) zz SSB to Patrol Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (39) zz Devastation at Point Calimere (36) zz Emissions Gap Report 2018 (39)

¾¾ The increase in CO2 concentration from 2016 to 2017 Greenhouse Gas was smaller than the rise from 2015 to 2016 because Levels Reach of the impact of El Niño, which peaked in 2015 and 2016. This triggered droughts in some parts of the Record Highs: UN Report world, which in turn reduced the ability of forests and vegetation in these areas to soak up CO , hence Levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the 2 more of it stayed in the atmosphere. atmosphere have reached another new record high, according to the United Nations weather agency, World El Nino and La Nina Meteorological Organization (WMO). ¾¾El Niño means The Little Boy, or Christ Child in Spanish. Key Findings It is a periodic climate event that causes waters to ¾¾In its annual greenhouse gas bulletin, WMO reveals warm up in east-central Pacific Ocean, which in turn that there is no sign of a reversal of the upward causes huge changes in wind directions bringing less trend, responsible for climate change, sea level rise, rain to Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, ocean acidification and extreme weather. while increasing rain in other parts of the world. ¾¾It can be noted that report talks about concentrations ¾¾There is also an opposite of an El Niño, called La and not emissions. The concentrations differ from Niña means The Little Girl in Spanish. This refers emissions in that they represent what remains in the to times when waters of the tropical eastern Pacific atmosphere after some of the gases are absorbed are colder than normal and trade winds blow more by the seas, land and trees. Since 1990 the warming strongly than usual. impact of these long lived gases on the climate has ¾¾Collectively, El Niño and La Niña are parts of an increased by 41%. oscillation in the ocean-atmosphere system called ¾¾ the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO cycle. Atmospheric CO2 reached 146% of the pre-industrial level in 2017, primarily because of emissions from combustion of fossil fuels and cement production, World Meteorological Organization (WMO) deforestation and other land-use change. ¾¾It is a specialized agency of the United Nations, ¾¾Levels of other key greenhouse gases methane and which is dedicated to international cooperation and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere also rose. coordination on:

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€€The state and behaviour of the Earth’s atmosphere, ¾¾The protocol provides for phasing out halogenated €€The atmosphere’s interaction with the land and hydrocarbons like tetrachloride, CFCs used oceans, in aerosols, halons used in fire extinguishers, HydroChloroFluoroCarbons (HCFCs) used in €€The weather and climate it produces, and refrigeration and foams, andmethyl used in fumigation €€The resulting distribution of water resources. activity of agriculture. ¾¾Methane is the second most important greenhouse ¾¾In 2016, Kigali amendment was made to the protocol gas, and about 60% of it in the atmosphere comes from to phase out HydroFluoroCarbon (HFC), a set of human activities like cattle farming, rice cultivation 19 gases in the hydrofluorocarbon family used and fossil fuel extraction. Levels in the atmosphere extensively in the air-conditioning and refrigeration are now about 257% of what they were before the industry. Though HFCs are not ozone-depleting but industrial revolution, and the rate of increase is very are thousand times more dangerous than carbon much constant over the last decade. dioxide in causing global warming. ¾¾Nitrous oxide comes from natural and human sources ¾¾Under the amendment, developed nations will begin including fertiliser use and industry. It's now about phasing down HFC gases by 2019, while developing 122% of pre-industrial levels. N2O is emitted into countries will follow suit by 2024. the atmosphere from both natural (about 60%) and anthropogenic sources (approximately 40%), Conclusion including oceans, soils, biomass burning, fertilizer ¾¾This report by WMO needs to be seen alongside the use and various industrial processes. recent IPCC 1.5C report which warned that the world €€ The likely causes of N2O increase in the atmosphere needed to be essentially carbon neutral by 2050. are an increased use of fertilizers in agriculture ¾¾The WMO bulletin comes out before climate and increased release of N2O from soils due to negotiators begin at the Conference of Parties (COP24) an excess of atmospheric nitrogen deposition meeting in Katowice, Poland, where countries will related to air pollution. discuss putting the Paris climate agreement into ¾¾Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) is a potent long lived practice and increasing their ambitions when it comes Greenhouse Gas (GHG). It is produced by the chemical to cutting warming gases. industry, mainly as an electrical insulator in power distribution equipment. Invasive Plant Species ¾¾While Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and most halons are decreasing, some hydrochlorofluorocarbons Introduced by Kerala Floods (HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are Floods and landslides in Kerala have brought several also potent GHGs, are increasing at relatively rapid alien invasive species of plants into the State’s water rates, although they are still low in abundance. bodies, posing a threat to native biodiversity and the ¾¾The WMO also highlighted the discovery of illicit aquatic environment. production of CFC-11, a banned chemical that both ¾¾The physical routes and paths formed due to landslides warms the planet and destroys ozone. Investigations and the overflow of rivers had paved the way for the indicate that at least some of the production is in China. establishment of primary colonies of invasive species €€Under the Montreal Protocol, CFC-11 was supposed like Nila grass (Mimosa diplotricha), Mikania (Mikania to be phased out of production. micrantha), Lantana (Lantana camara) and Siam weed (Chromolaena odorata). Montreal Protocol ¾¾Adopted on 16 September 1987, the Montreal Protocol Invasive Species on substances that deplete the ozone layer regulates ¾¾An invasive species can be any kind of living organism— the production and consumption of nearly 100 man an amphibian (like the cane toad), plant, insect, fish, made chemicals referred to as Ozone Depleting fungus, bacteria, or even an organism’s seeds or eggs— Substances (ODS). that is not native to an ecosystem and causes harm.

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¾¾They can harm the environment, the economy, or likely to establish themselves in the new areas and even human health. subsequently spread into the forests through the ¾¾Invasive species alter the environment they invade corridors created by landslides. This could affect the and are difficult and expensive to control after they soil and destroy the microhabitat of that area. colonise a landscape, having phenotypic plasticity (the ability to adapt to environmental stress). Way Forward ¾¾Invasive plant species transform the soil structure and ¾¾The threat of invasive species should be addressed micro environment to their advantage by producing in the process of post-flood reconstruction in the allelochemicals which cause the destruction of native State. species and local biodiversity. ¾¾Community participation should be given importance in identifying and reporting the invasive species to Allelochemical is produced by a living organism Forest Departments. that exerts a detrimental physiological effect on ¾¾A comprehensive survey should be conducted by the individuals of another species when released into the Forest Department to identify the area and density of environment. For example: the spread of invasive species in wildlife sanctuaries, ¾¾An invasive species Anthemis cotula can excrete National Parks and Protected Areas. allelochemicals to inhibit seed germination and ¾¾Adequate time and budget should be allocated to retarding seedling growth of its native competitors. handle this herculean task. ¾¾Black Walnut produce allelochemical called Juglone which adversely affects plants like tomatoes, pepper, Additional Information potato etc. ¾¾Kuttanad Wetland Agriculture System is the only system in India that favours rice cultivation below Threats to Native sea level in the land created by draining delta swamps Ecosystem of Kerala in brackish waters. ¾¾Threaten cultivable land and wildlife habitats alike. ¾¾In order to safeguard and support the world's For instance: Invasive species like the water hyacinth agricultural heritage systems, Food and Agriculture (Eichhornia crassipes) and giant salvinia (Salvinia Organization (specialized agency of the United molesta), present in the backwaters of the Kuttanad Nations) started an initiative for the identification region, had started colonising paddy fields, cultivated and the dynamic conservation ofGlobally Important lands and other isolated water bodies in nearby areas. Agricultural Heritage systems (GIAHS) in 2002. These ¾¾Threat to Wetlands: Kole wetland (part of Vembanad- traditional agricultural systems represent models of Kole wetlands, a Ramsar site) in Thrissur, has been sustainable agricultural production. colonised by invasive plants, such as matamat ¾¾Three recognised GIAHS sites in India: (Rhynchospora corymbosa), desho grass (Pennisetum €€Kuttanad Below Sea Level Farming System of Kerala pedicellatum), giant salvinia and water hyacinth which €€Koraput Traditional Agriculture of Odisha may lead to the conversion of marshy wetlands into €€Pampore Saffron Heritage of Kashmir dry land. ¾¾Invasion of new spaces: In many areas of Thrissur, Palakkad, Wayanad and Idukki districts, seeds of Atmospheric invasive species from mountainous areas have spread Geoengineering Experiment to new spaces formed by landslides which can grow to Curb Global Warming very fast in landslide-affected areas by using available nutrients, while native species cannot adapt to such The research by scientists at Harvard and Yale conditions. universities, published in the journal Environmental ¾¾In rubber plantations, cover crops (species grown Research Letters, proposed using a technique known as mainly to prevent soil erosion) like mucuna (Mucuna stratospheric aerosol injection, which could cut the rate bracteata), a nitrogen-regulating plant, are more of global warming in half.

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¾¾The technique would involve spraying large Concerns amounts of sulfate particles into the Earth's lower ¾¾The technique could result in reduced precipitation, stratosphere at altitudes as high as 12 mile (around soil moisture and river flow in many regions. 20 kilometre). The sulfates will be delivered with ¾¾It is likely to on the ground specially designed high-altitude aircraft, balloons or increase acid deposition large naval-style guns. and also contribute to ozone layer depletion. ¾¾Once the aerosol has been injected into the atmosphere, ¾¾The idea is to help shield the Earth from just enough sunlight to help keep temperatures low, it cannot be removed. i.e. increasing the planet’s albedo, or reflective power. ¾¾Stratospheric aerosol injection techniques could This method would mimic what large volcanoes jeopardize crop yields, lead to droughts or cause do. E.g.: extreme weather. €€In 1991, Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines. ¾¾The proposals also don't address the issue of rising It was the second largest eruption of the 20th greenhouse gas emissions, which are a leading cause century. In total, the eruption injected 20 million of global warming. It is said to be a temporary Band- tons of sulfur dioxide aerosols into the stratosphere Aid covering a problem. which lowered atmospheric temperature by ¾¾Solar radiation management is still a much worse approximately 1°F. However, it’s effect only lasted solution than greenhouse gas emissions: it is more a couple of years because the sulfates eventually costly and much more risky over the long run. fell to Earth. Moreover, it affected precipitation ¾¾There are the ethical and governance issues that in many parts of the world. surround geoengineering as well, questions about ¾¾The report does, however, acknowledge that the who should be allowed to do what and when. technique is purely hypothetical and would involve developing a new, purpose built tanker with substantial Conclusion payload capabilities that may take around 15 years' ¾¾The buildup of greenhouse gases is already altering of time. the atmosphere and climate in an unprecedented and uncontrolled manner. Climate researchers Geoengineering should explore solar geoengineering to determine ¾¾Geoengineering is the technique designed to tackle whether it would actually work and how safe it the effects of climate change directly, usually by would be. removing carbon dioxide (CO ) from the air or limiting 2 ¾¾Along with this political scientists also need to the amount of sunlight reaching the planet's surface. start thinking about how to implement such an ¾¾It involves deliberate planet-scale interventions to unprecedented planetary project. counteract global warming. ¾¾Methods to remove CO from the air: Increasing the 2 Andaman & Nicobar capacity of trees and plants to absorb CO2 from the air, burning large quantities of wood in power plants Islands’ Rich Faunal Diversity with carbon-capture technology, making and burying large amounts of charcoal to lock carbon into the soils, A recent publication by the Zoological Survey of India grazing cattle in a way designed to turn grasslands (ZSI) titled Faunal Diversity of Biogeographic Zones: into giant carbon sinks, fertilising the oceans with Islands of India, has for the first time come up with a iron to encourage the growth of algae that can soak database of all faunal species found on the Andaman and up atmospheric carbon dioxide, etc. Nicobar (A&N) islands. ¾¾Methods to limit amount of sunlight: Placing mirrors ¾¾According to the publication, A&N islands which in space that reflect sunlight away from the Earth, comprise only 0.25% of India’s geographical area, firingsulphate aerosols into the stratosphere, using are home to more than 10% of the country’s fauna unmanned ships to increase above-ocean cloud cover species. by spraying sea water into the air, etc. ¾¾The presence of a large number of species in such a

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small area makes the A&N islands one of the richest Andaman and Nicobar Islands ecosystems and biodiversity hotspots in India. ¾¾The Andaman and Nicobar islands (A&N islands), ¾¾A long period of isolation from the mainland made popularly known as ‘Bay Islands’, are situated in the the islands hotspots for speciation (the formation of Bay of Bengal, midway between peninsular India new and distinct species) resulting in hundreds of and Myanmar, spreading like a broken necklace in endemic species and subspecies. the North-south direction. ¾¾ Faunal Diversity A&N islands represent a typical tropical ecosystem that includes an endless stretch of tropical rainforests ¾¾Major endemic faunal species found only on the bordered by mangrove swamps and unspoilt A&N Islands are Narcondam hornbill, Nicobar fragile marine biota exhibiting an extreme degree megapode (a bird that builds nests on the ground); of endemism. Nicobar treeshrew (a small mole-like mammal), ¾¾The maximum altitudeof these islands is 730 m at Long-tailed Nicobar macaque, and the Andaman Saddle Peak in North Andaman, formed mainly of day gecko. limestone, sandstone and clay. ¾¾Among marine fauna found on the islands, the ¾¾Two islands of volcanic origin are found, namely the Dugong (sea cow), and the Indo-Pacific humpback Narcondam and the Barren islands. The former is dolphin are classified asVulnerable under the IUCN now apparently extinct while thelatter is still active. (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red ¾¾The Andaman and Nicobars are separated by the List of Threatened Species. Ten Degree Channel which is 150 Kms. wide. ¾¾Among the terrestrial mammalian species found, ¾¾The population of the islands is about 4 lakh, which three species have been categorised as Critically includes six particularly vulnerable tribal groups Endangered under IUCN Red List — Andaman shrew (PVTGs). (Crocidura andamanensis), Jenkin’s shrew (C. jenkinsi) €€The indigenous people of Andamans are the and Nicobar shrew (C. nicobarica). Great Andamanese, the Jarawa; the Onge; ¾¾Another unique feature of the islands’ ecosystem is and the Sentinelese (the most isolated of all its which includes marine faunal diversity, coral reefs the groups). and its associated fauna. €€The indigenous peoples of the Nicobars (unrelated ¾¾ More than 500 species of scleractinian corals (hard to the Andamanese) are the Nicobarese; and or stony corals) are found in the island ecosystem the Shompen. which have been protected under Schedule I of the ¾¾The Andaman Wood Pigeon, Andaman Padauk Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. and Dugong are declared as State Bird, State Tree Key Findings: Causes & Consequences and State Animal respectively. ¾¾Anthropogenic threats-tourism, illegal construction Biodiversity Hotspots of India and mining are posing a threat to the islands’ There are four biodiversity hotspots in India: biodiversity, which is already vulnerable to volatile ¾¾Himalaya: Includes the entire Indian Himalayan climatic factors. region (and that falling in Pakistan, Tibet, Nepal, ¾¾The development paradigm that is being pushed such Bhutan, China and Myanmar) as tourism, construction and development of military, ¾¾Indo-Burma: Includes entire North-eastern India, is not taking in account three factors — ecological except Assam and Andaman group of Islands (and fragility of the area (the endemism), geological Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and volatility(earthquakes and tsunamis), and the impact southern China) they will have on local communities. ¾¾Sundalands: Includes Nicobar group of Islands (and ¾¾Any stress can have a long-lasting impact on the A&N Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines) islands’ biodiversity, devastating the population size ¾¾Western Ghats and Sri Lanka: Includes entire of any endemic fauna, followed by extinction within Western Ghats (and Sri Lanka) a limited span of time.

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IMO Guidelines on Shipping Fuel The International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted an amendment that supports a reduced limit on sulphur in ships' fuel oil. ¾¾The IMO adopted the new 0.50% limit from the current 3.50% on sulphur in ships' fuel oil.

¾¾The new guidelines will be implemented from January €€Some of these chemicals are toxic, persistent, and 1, 2020, under IMO's MARPOL treaty. bioaccumulative. ¾¾The limit is likely to have benefits for the environment ¾¾Collision with Wildlife: Ships cause physical and as well as human health. other damages through dropping of anchors, wave disturbances, and striking of whales and other marine Pollution by Shipping mammals. ¾¾Discharge into air: Ships contribute between 2 and 3 percent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, through emission of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide. ¾¾Ballast Water Discharge (BWD): BWD by ships is responsible for the introduction of invasive species in the oceans. ¾¾Sound Pollution: It impacts marine life like drive fish away from their habitat, impact organism who rely on sound for communication, mating calls and catching prey. ¾¾Oil Spills and Chemical Discharges: €€Oil spills have huge and immediate economic, social, and environmental impacts. €€Local people lose their livelihoods as fisheries and tourism areas are temporarily closed; the cleanup costs are enormous, and tens of thousands of marine animals and plants are killed or harmed. €€Many ships illegally discharge bilge oil (a mixture of water, oil, lubricants, and other pollutants that collect in a ship's hold), before entering a port, as this is cheaper than disposing of it legally at the port which accounts for nearly 10% of all oil entering the oceans each year.

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International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL Treaty) BASIC Nations Push

Adoption: 1973 (Convention); 1978 (1978 Protocol); for ‘Climate Finance’ 1997 (Protocol-Annex VI). Ahead of the United Nations Conference of Parties ¾¾MARPOL is one of the most significant international (COP24) in Katowice, Poland, the BASIC (Brazil, South marine environmental conventions covering prevention Africa, China and India) countries said that they would of pollution of the marine environment by ships from continue to push developed countries on their commitment operational or accidental causes. to provide $100 billion annually from 2020. ¾¾It was adopted on 2nd November 1973 at IMO. The ¾¾Earlier at COP21 of UNFCCC held at Paris in 2015, Protocol of 1978 was adopted in response to a spate in accordance with the principle of “common of tanker accidents in 1976-1977. but differentiated responsibility and respective , developed countries had committed to ¾¾It includes regulations aimed at preventing and capabilities” contribute $100 billion each year to help poorer and minimizing pollution from ships. It currently includes developing economies fight climate change through six technical Annexes: mitigation as well as adaptation. €€Annex I: Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution ¾¾However, not much progress has been made on the by Oil commitment. Countries still need to agree on what €€Annex II: Regulations for the Control of Pollution constitutes climate finance. by Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk €€E.g.: Whether investments made by private €€Annex III: Prevention of Pollution by Harmful companies in developed countries in new green Substances Carried by Sea in Packaged Form technology will be considered as climate finance €€Annex IV: Prevention of Pollution by Sewage or not. from Ships ¾¾The four nations also took note of the findings of €€Annex V: Prevention of Pollution by Garbage the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change from Ships (IPCC) special report on global warming of 1.5C, €€Annex VI: Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships which highlights the high vulnerability of developing countries to climate change effects and high resultant International Maritime Organization costs of adaptation. ¾¾The International Maritime Organization is a specialized ¾¾BASIC is a group of four large countries – Brazil, South agency of the United Nations responsible for measures Africa, India and China. It was formed in 2009. to improve the safety and security of international ¾¾Recently, India also hosted meetings with a group of shipping and to prevent pollution from ships. countries called the LMDC (Like Minded Developing ¾¾It is also involved in legal matters, including liability Countries-India, China, Venezuela, Iran, etc.) to discuss and compensation issues and the facilitation of issues related to climate change. international maritime traffic. ¾¾It was established by means of a Convention adopted Climate Finance under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva ¾¾It refers to local, national or transnational financing— on 17 March 1948 and met for the first time in drawn from public, private and alternative sources January 1959. of financing—that seeks to support mitigation ¾¾In 2011, IMO became the first international regulator and adaptation actions that will address climate for a transport sector to adopt globally binding energy change. efficiency requirements, which apply to all ships ¾¾To facilitate the provision of climate finance, the United globally, regardless of trading pattern or flag State, Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from (UNFCCC) states that the operation of the financial international shipping. mechanism can be entrusted to one or more existing ¾¾It currently has 174 Member States. international entities.

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Global Environment Facility (GEF) World’s First ¾¾It has served as an operating entity of the financial mechanism since the UNFCCC’s entry into force in 1994. Online Climate Summit ¾¾GEF is an international partnership of 183 countries, World leaders are set to participate in an innovative international institutions, civil society organizations and climate change summit that will take place entirely online the private sector that addresses global environmental which makes it a carbon neutral summit. issues, based in Washington DC, United States. ¾¾By contrast, the UN's COP21 climate talks in Paris in ¾¾The GEF also manages two special funds, viz. the 2015 generated about 43,000 tons of carbon dioxide, Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) and the Least although much of this was later offset through carbon- . Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) credit schemes. Green Climate Fund (GCF) ¾¾The Virtual Climate Summit is the brainchild of Marshall Islands President, whose nation is facing ¾¾ Green Climate Fund is the financial mechanism of the worst impacts of climate change. the UNFCCC, established at Conference of Parties ¾¾It will consist of a rolling, 24-hour live stream that will (COP-16) in Cancun, Mexico 2010. begin in the Marshalls' capital Majuro, then include ¾¾ It was set up by the 194 countries who are parties addresses from leaders and panel discussions before to the UNFCCC in 2010, as part of the Convention’s delivering a declaration. financial mechanism. ¾¾National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Objectives (NABARD) and Small Industries Development Bank ¾¾The virtual summit's main aim is to encourage the of India (SIDBI) act as National Implementing Entity international community to restrict global warming (NIE) of India for Green Climate Fund (GCF). to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. ¾¾The Fund pays particular attention to the needs of ¾¾Immediate objective is to cut carbon emissions societies that are highly vulnerable to the effects of since flying is among the most harmful activities climate change, in particular Least Developed Countries for the climate, accounting for about 2.5% of the (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and world’s carbon emissions. Also, the online platform African States. will not put additional pressure on already resource ¾¾The Fund’s investments can be in the form of grants, constraint nation. loans, equity or guarantees. ¾¾A virtual summit also flattens the playing field, removes barriers like plane tickets and conference passes that Adaptation Fund (AF) inevitably leave out those most impacted by climate ¾¾This separate fund was established under the Kyoto change. It is more participative. Protocol in 2001. ¾¾It is the first time that leaders from the Climate ¾¾The Adaptation Fund is financed with a share of Vulnerable Forum (CVF) have come together and proceeds from the Clean Development Mechanism therefore it is also a chance for those on the front (CDM) project activities and other sources of funding. line of climate change to make their voices heard. €€The CDM allows emission-reduction projects in developing countries to earn Certified Emission Climate Vulnerable Forum Reduction (CER) credits, each equivalent to one ¾¾It is an international partnership of countries highly

tonne of CO2. vulnerable to a warming planet. The forum serves as €€These CERs can be traded and sold, and used a South-South cooperation platform for participating by industrialized countries to a meet a part of governments to act together to deal with global their emission reduction targets under the Kyoto climate change. Protocol. ¾¾The Forum first met in Maldives in November 2009. ¾¾The Adaptation Fund is financed by a 2% levy on CERs ¾¾Other initiatives taken by CVF to deal with climate issued by the CDM. change:

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€€Vulnerable Twenty (V20) Group of Ministers of trends in crime and devise effective measures to Finance of the Climate Vulnerable Forum is a prevent and detect wildlife crimes across India. dedicated cooperation initiative of economies ¾¾This system has been successfully used to analyse systemically vulnerable to climate change. trends and for successfully carrying out operations zzIt was established on 08 October 2015 at Lima, such as: Peru. €€Operation SAVE KURMA: species specific operation zzIt’s primary objective is to promote the on turtles mobilisation of climate finance. €€THUNDERBIRD: it is code-name for INTERPOL’s €€Survive Thrive #1.5°C aims to promote actions to multi-national and multi-species enforcement keep warming below 1.5°C and urges people to operation get involved and keep updated on limiting global €€WILDNET: to curb illegal trade of wild animals and warming to 1.5°C. parts through online platforms ¾¾Earlier, a UN report warned that threshold could €€LESKNOW: to check illegal trade of lesser-known be reached as early as 2030 unless there was species of animals unprecedented global action to rein in emissions. Environmental crimes UN Environment ¾¾Environmental crimes, which include illegal trade in wildlife, illicit trade in forests and forestry products, Award for India illegal dumping of waste including chemicals, smuggling Nine institutions and individuals from across Asia of ozone depleting substances and illegal mining, have been recognized by the United Nations, USAID, estimated at up to $258 billion per year. Interpol, and the Freeland Foundation for outstanding ¾¾It is now the fourth largest illegal crime after drug work in preventing transboundary environmental crime smuggling, counterfeiting and human trafficking. in an annual award ceremony in Bangkok. ¾¾United Nation Environment has awarded Wildlife Ortolan Bunting in India Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change with Asia Environment ¾¾In a rare sighting, ‘Ortolan Bunting’ bird has been Enforcement Awards, 2018 for excellent work photographed in Mangalore. It is said to be the first done by the Bureau in combating transboundary photographic record of an Ortolan bunting in India. environmental crime. ¾¾The Ortolan or ¾¾The Asia Environment Enforcement Awards publicly Ortolan Buntings recognize and celebrate excellence in enforcement by (Emberiza hortulana) government officials and institutions/teams combating are tiny finch-like transboundary environmental crime in Asia. songbirds that are ¾¾The awards are given to outstanding individuals and/ part of the bunting or government organizations/teams that demonstrate family. excellence and leadership in enforcement of national ¾¾The bird breeds from Mongolia to Europe and migrates laws to combat transboundary environmental crime to Africa via the Middle East. in one of the following eligibility criteria areas: ¾¾The Ortolan Bunting migrates mostly through Middle collaboration; impact; innovation; integrity and East and while migrating, if an Ortolan loses its way, gender leadership. it may land anywhere. ¾¾WCCB has been conferred this award in Innovation ¾¾The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s category. (IUCN's) red list of threatened species has placed ¾¾WCCB has adopted innovative enforcement techniques Ortolan bunting in the “Least Concern” category. like an online Wildlife Crime Database Management ¾¾However, it is considered a vulnerable species, System to get real time data in order to help analyze especially in France, because the bird is trapped to

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be the centrepiece of a very popular gourmet dish in French cuisine. Rare Bird Sighted ¾¾It is said to be the "most sadistic dish" ever as Ortolans in Chinnar Sanctuary used to be netted in great numbers, blinded using a pair of pincers, and kept in small dark boxes. ¾¾Sri Lankan Frogmouth has been noticed on the eastern ¾¾This inhumane trapping and slaughter was outlawed side of the Western Ghats for the first time in Kerala’s in 1999 but is still believed to be practised. In fact, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary. until 2007 up to 50,000 of these birds were said to ¾¾Sri Lankan Frogmouth is usually found on the western have been killed due to lack of enforcement. side of the Western Ghats in Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra. ¾¾The main feature is that it lays only one egg a year Devastation at Point Calimere after the mating season in April-May. ¾¾After the devastation caused by Cyclone Gaja, Point ¾¾It was believed that the species had gone extinct Calimere resembles a forest in Vietnam that has been in Kerala. The Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is on a laid waste by Agent Orange. project to study its habitat and make a favourable ¾¾Agent Orange was a powerful herbicide (Operation environment for it. Ranch Hand) used by U.S. military forces during the ¾¾Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located Vietnam War in the 1960s to eliminate forest cover in the rain shadow region in the eastern slope of and crops in Vietnam. Western Ghats, adjoining Tamil Nadu. ¾¾In the devastation caused by Cyclone Gaja, thousands ¾¾Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as a wildlife of birds that once made the Point Calimere sanctuary sanctuary in August 1984. their home have died, trees have been uprooted or ¾¾The Park provides ecological connectivity between their branches broken or defoliated. the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and Eravikulam National ¾¾The Point Calimere, the renowned wildlife and bird Park. sanctuary on the seashore in Nagapattinam district (Tamil Nadu), is a wetland of international importance as it is one of the 26 designated Ramsar sites in India. Horned Frogs ¾¾The Point Calimere sanctuary consists of shallow waters, Discovered by DU team shores, long sand bars, intertidal flats and intertidal ¾¾A team of biologists from Delhi University (DU), forests,mangroves, dry evergreen forests, saline lagoons, as well as human-made salt exploitation sites. University College Dublin (Ireland) and the National Museum (UK) have discovered four new species of ¾¾Great flamingo, Painted Stork, Little Stint, Seagull horned frogs from the Himalayan regions of Northeast and Brown-headed gull are normally found in the India. sanctuary. ¾¾The team also comprised S D Biju from DU’s Department of Environmental Studies, known as the ‘Frogman Parambikulam of India’. Tiger Reserve ¾¾Horned frogs get their name from the fleshy horn- like projection on the upper eyelids of some species, ¾¾A recent survey held in the reserve spotted 221 varieties and were discovered in the forests of Meghalaya and of butterflies, 11 of which were endemic to the area. Arunachal Pradesh. ¾¾Buddha Peacock or Buddha Mayoori, is the State ¾¾The scientists named the four new Indian species butterfly of Kerala. as Himalayan horned frog (Megophrys himalayana); ¾¾Parambikulam Tiger Reserve is located in the the Garo white-lipped horned frog (Megophrys Palakkad District of Kerala and lies in between the oreocrypta); the Yellow spotted white-lipped horned Anamalai hills and Nelliampathy hills of the Southern frog (Megophrys flavipunctata); and the Giant Western Ghats. Himalayan horned frog (Megophrys periosa).

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¾¾Salt-water crocodiles are usually found around Odisha India's First Elephant Coast. Their presence in Andhra indicates migration Hospital in Mathura of the species from the Odisha coast. ¾¾The two crocodiles will be shifted to the Bhitarkanika ¾¾India's first specialized hospital for elephants was National Park (BNP), Odisha. opened in Mathura (Uttar Pradesh). ¾¾In India, the BNP, the Sundarbans and the Andaman ¾¾The hospital armed with facilities such as wireless & Nicobar Islands are the prime habitats of the digital X-Ray, thermal imaging, ultrasonography, saltwater crocodile. tranquilization devices and quarantine facilities, has not only come as a respite to the elephants but is Indian Crocodile Conservation Project also attracting local and foreign tourists. ¾¾Crocodilians were threatened in India due to ¾¾Located close to the elephant conservation and care indiscriminate killing for commercial purpose and centre, the hospital is designed to treat injured, sick severe habitat loss until enactment of the Wildlife or geriatric elephants and is equipped with a medical (Protection) Act, 1972. hoist for lifting elephants. ¾¾Crocodile Conservation Project was launched in 1975 Elephant Corridors as ESZ in different States. ¾¾The Gharial and Saltwater crocodile conservation ¾¾The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the programme was first implemented in Odisha in early Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change 1975 and subsequently the Mugger conservation (MoEF&CC) to consider declaring all elephant corridors programme was initiated. in the country as Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ). ¾¾The estimated number of the saltwater crocodiles ¾¾Eco-Sensitive Zones or Ecologically Fragile Areas are increased from 96 in 1976 to 1,640 in 2012 in India areas notified by MoEF&CC around Protected Areas, due to rear and release programme established under National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. the Indian Crocodile Conservation Project. ¾¾Activities conducted in eco-sensitive zones are regulated under The Environment (Protection) Act, Crocodiles in India 1986 and no polluting industry or mine is allowed to ¾¾India has three species of crocodilians namely come up in such areas. €€Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) (IUCN: Critically ¾¾ As a general principle width of the eco-sensitive zone Endangered) could go up to 10 km around a protected area. In case €€Mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) (IUCN: of places with sensitive corridors, connectivity and ecologically important patches, crucial for landscape Vulnerable) linkage, even area beyond 10 km width can also be €€Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) (IUCN: included in the eco-sensitive zone. Least Concern) ¾¾The guidelines prohibit activities such as commercial Bhitarkanika National Park mining, commercial use of firewood and major hydropower projects. ¾¾Bhitarkanika National Park is one of Odisha’sfinest ¾¾The basic aim is to regulate certain activities around biodiversity hotspots and is famous for its green National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries so as to mangroves, migratory birds, turtles, estuarine crocodiles minimise the negative impacts of such activities on the and countless creeks. fragile ecosystem encompassing the protected areas. ¾¾The wetland is represented by 3 protected Areas, the Bhitarkanika National Park, the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Saltwater Crocodile Sanctuary and the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. ¾¾Bhitarkanika is located in the estuary of Brahmani, Sighted in AP Baitarani, Dhamra and Mahanadi river systems. ¾¾At least two saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) ¾¾It is said to house 70% of the country’s estuarine or were sighted along Andhra Pradesh Coast. saltwater crocodiles.

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¾¾The Sharda River flows by the Kishanpur WL Sanctuary, Atmosphere & Climate the Geruwa River flows through the Katarniaghat Research-Modelling WL Sanctuary and the Suheli and Mohana streams flow in the Dudhwa National Park, all of which are Observing Systems & tributaries of the Ghagra River. Services (ACROSS) ¾¾The northern boundary of the park is being constituted by the Mohana River flowing along the Indo-Nepal ¾¾The Government has approved continuation of the nine border whilst the southern boundary is formed by sub-schemes of the umbrella scheme "Atmosphere the river Suheli. & Climate Research-Modelling Observing Systems ¾¾It includes three large forest fragments - marshes, & Services (ACROSS)" during 2017-2020. grasslands and dense forests, amidst the matrix ¾¾The scheme will provide improved weather, climate dominated by agriculture. and ocean forecast and services. This would include warnings for cyclones, storm surges, heat waves and thunderstorms. Emissions Gap Report 2018 ¾¾It will be implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences ¾¾United Nations Environment Program has released through its institutes namely India Meteorological Department (IMD), Indian Institute of Tropical its annual Emissions Gap Report. Meteorology (IITM), National Centre for Medium ¾¾The Emissions Gap Report assesses the “emissions Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), and Indian gap,” which is the gap between anticipated emission National Centre for Ocean Information Service (INCOIS). levels in 2030, compared to emissions levels consistent ¾¾It has also approved establishment of National Facility with meeting a 2°C/1.5°C target. for Airborne Research (NFAR) which will serve the ¾¾India with its currently-implemented policies is likely purpose of airborne measurements in respect of to achieve its Cancun pledge of 2020 and NDC targets. Aerosol sampling, measurement of cloud properties, ¾¾The report finds that cloud physics, Convective Tropical Convergence Zone €€global emissions of greenhouse gases have risen (CTCZ), atmospheric chemistry, etc. to address all for the first time in four years. relevant scientific issues. €€keeping global warming below 2°C above pre- industrial levels is still technically possible, the SSB to Patrol potential to bridge the 1.5°C gap is decreasing. Dudhwa Tiger Reserve ¾¾Dudhwa Tiger Reserve and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) have joined hands to provide security to Dudhwa forests and its rich wildlife. ¾¾Apart from joint patrolling, intelligence and information sharing among various security agencies about activities of wildlife and forest criminals will also be undertaken.

Dudhwa Tiger Reserve ¾¾The Dudhwa Tiger Reserve is a protected area in Uttar Pradesh that stretches mainly across the Lakhimpur Kheri and Bahraich districts. ¾¾It comprises of the Dudhwa National Park, Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary.

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€€the current pace of national action is insufficient €€implementing fiscal policy measures such as carbon to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement, and pricing and taxes are effective ways in reducing the gap in 2018 is larger than ever emissions and costs of mitigating it. €€countries must triple their ambition levels to meet COP-16 Cancun, Mexico the 2°C goal, and increase ambition five-fold to ¾¾ meet the 1.5°C target COP-16 took place at Cancun, 2010. At the conference, all parties including both the developed and the €€continuing with the current trends will likely lead developing countries agreed to report their voluntary to global warming of around 3°C by the end of mitigation goals for implementation. the century. ¾¾Green Climate Fund under the COP, with a board €€nations must raise their ambition by three times equally representing developed and developing to meet the two degrees Celsius and five times to countries was established. meet 1.5 degrees

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Security

Highlights zz Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti (41) zz Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) (41)

Mission Raksha Emergency Response Gyan Shakti Support System (ERSS) The Department of Defence Production has ¾¾Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) has instituted a framework titled ‘Mission Raksha Gyan been launched for Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Shakti’ which aims to provide a boost to the Himachal Pradesh became the first state to launch the Intellectual Property Rights culture in indigenous pan-India single emergency number ‘112’ under ERSS. defense industry. ¾¾ERSS was earlier known as Nationwide Emergency ¾¾The Directorate General of Quality Assur- Response System. Central Government has allocated ance (DGQA) has been entrusted with the respon- funds under the Nirbhaya Fund for implementation sibility of coordinating and implementing the of ERSS project across the country. programme. ¾¾Under this project, one Emergency Response Centre ¾¾Under the mission, the target for the year 2017-18 is (ERC) is established along with District Command to train 10,000 personnel of Defence Public Sector Centers (DCCs) covering entire State. Undertakings (DPSU) and Ordnance factory Board ¾¾Emergency Response Centre is integrated with Police (OFB) on IPR and facilitate filing of at least 1,000 (100), Fire (101), Health (108) and Women helpline new IPR applications. (1090) Services to provide emergency services via ¾¾The first level of IPs will be filed with the Controller single emergency number - 112. of Indian Patents which would then take them up at ¾¾This service will remove the need for citizens to the global level. remember multiple helpline numbers. ¾¾India has accumulated several technologies gained ¾¾The service also includes a ‘112 India’ mobile app through Transfer of Technology (ToT) agreements integrated with Panic Button of smartphones and but for any design adjustments in the platforms, the ERSS State website for ease of citizen in availing original manufacturer has to be consulted. immediate assistance. ¾¾To increase the effectiveness of Emergency Response, Importance the ERC has also been integrated with Location Based ¾¾It aims to achieve the goal of self-reliance in Services provided by Telecom Service Providers. defense sector to generate Intellectual Property ¾¾To ensure safety of women, a SHOUT feature has in India and marks a departure from the culture of been introduced in ‘112 India’ mobile app to seek seeking Transfer of Technology (ToT) from foreign immediate assistance from registered volunteers in sources. the vicinity apart from the immediate assistance from ¾¾Design or IP accounts for over 50% of the cost, in Emergency Response Centre. some cases it is 70-80%. Indigenisation can result in ¾¾ERSS was formed on the recommendation of Justice cost savings of about 50-70%. Verma Committee (2012-13).

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Art & Culture

Highlights zz Climate Change and the Decline of Indus Valley zz Tawang Monastery (43) Civilisation (42) zz Aadi Mahotsav (43) zz World Heritage Week (43) zz Reggae got UNESCO Heritage Status (43)

inhabitants migrated from a summer flood-deficient Climate Change river valley to the Himalayan plains. and the Decline of ¾¾Later, a decline in the winter monsoon could have played a role in the demise of the rural late Harappans. Indus Valley Civilisation ¾¾A shift in temperatures and weather patterns over A new study titled ‘Neoglacial climate anomalies the Indus Valley caused summer monsoon rains and the Harappan metamorphosis’, conducted by an to gradually dry up, making agriculture difficult or international team of scientists suggests that climate impossible near Harappan cities. change may have led to the decline of the Indus Valley ¾¾Records for the last 4,500 years generally indicate that Civilisation. temperatures were lower than the Holocene thermal ¾¾The study looked at: maximum. A general cooling, known as the occurred €€sediments from the Arabian Sea from the between 2,500 and 4,500 years ago. continental margin of Pakistan, ¾¾Floods in the Indus and tributary rivers became less €€reconstructed the Indian winter monsoon for the severe and probably less predictable which affected last 6,000 years, and examined undersea fossils the Indus people who depended a lot on inundation and marine DNA. agriculture. ¾¾The seafloor near the mouth of the Indus is a very ¾¾Ghaggar-Hakra, which is the probable course of the low-oxygen environment, so whatever grows and dies Saraswati river, dried at the same time. in the water is very well preserved in the sediment. ¾¾Between 4,500 and 3,000 years ago, strong winter Hence, it was used as a sample. monsoons were characterised by “early neoglacial anomalies (ENA)” that is characterised by changes A Brief History in wind and precipitation patterns that are evident ¾¾More than 4,000 years ago, the Harappan culture across the eastern Northern Hemisphere and tropics. thrived in the Indus River Valley of what is now modern ¾¾It was this coordinated climate reorganisation that Pakistan and northwestern India. may have helped trigger the transformation of the ¾¾They built sophisticated cities, invented sewage systems urban Harappan civilisation into a rural society. that predated ancient Rome's, and engaged in long- During that time the Indo-Aryan culture was arriving distance trade with settlements in Mesopotamia. in the region with Iron Age tools, horses and carts. ¾¾However, by 1800 BCE, this advanced culture had abandoned their cities, moving instead to smaller Significance of the Study villages in the Himalayan foothills. ¾¾It provides us with a vivid example of what climate change could do to people. Findings of the Study ¾¾The study provides a powerful lesson for today as ¾¾First, a wetter winter monsoon may have led to the migration out of Syria and African countries has urban Harappan society turning into a rural one, as some roots in climate change.

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¾¾Also, sea level rise in recent times due to climate ¾¾India currently has 37 UNESCO World Heritage change can lead to huge migrations from low lying Sites. regions like Bangladesh, or from hurricane-prone regions in the southern U.S. Tawang Monastery ¾¾The Harappans could cope with the change by migrating but owing to the existing rigid political boundaries ¾¾Tawang Monastery is located in Tawang district of with the increasing tendency of protectionism, this Arunachal Pradesh. option is nearly closed in today's global scenario which ¾¾Known in Tibetan as Gaden Namgyal Lhatse, it was ultimately can cause political and social convulsion. built according to the wishes of the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso. Important sites of the Indus Valley civilization and ¾¾ their archaeological findings: However, it was founded in 1680-81 by a monk named Merag Lodre Gyatso of the Gelugpa sect ¾¾Harappa in present Pakistan – granaries with big (Tibetan Buddhism) after the th4 Dalai Lama gave platform, stone symbol of lingam and yoni, mother him a painting of goddess Palden Lhamo to be kept goddess figure, wheat and barley in wooden mortar, in the monastery. dice, copper scale and mirror. €€Tibetan Buddhism is the major religion of Tibetans ¾¾Mohenjodaro in present Pakistan - bronze dancing around the world. It covers the teachings of girl, the sculpture of bearded priest, the great bath, Mahayana Buddhism along with Tantric and the great granary. Shamanic rituals, and is in some part influenced ¾¾ Dholavira in Gujarat – giant water reservoir, unique by Bon, the ancient, indigenous religion of Tibet. water harnessing system, stadium, dams and ¾¾An eight-metre high gilded statue of Lord Buddha embankments, inscription comprising 10 large sized dominates the sanctum of the monastery. signs like an advertisement board. ¾¾It is the largest monastery in India and second ¾¾Lothal (Manchester of Indus Valley Civilisation) in largest in the world after the Potala Palace in Gujarat – dockyard, double burial, rice, fire altars, Lhasa, Tibet. painted jar, modern day chess, terracotta figure of ship, instruments for measuring 45, 90 and 180-degree angles. Aadi Mahotsav ¾¾Ropar in Punjab – dog buried with human oval pit ¾¾The 4th edition of annual “Aadi Mahotsav”, a burials. National Tribal Festival organized byMinistry of Tribal ¾¾Balathal and Kalibangan in Rajasthan – bangle Affairs in association with TRIFED and Ministry of factory, toy carts, bones of camel, decorated bricks, Culture was held from 16-30 November, 2018 at citadel and lower town. Dilli Haat. ¾¾Banawali in Haryana – toy plough, barley grains, ¾¾The theme of the festival:Celebration of the spirit of oval-shaped settlement, the only city with radial tribal culture, craft, cuisine and commerce. streets. ¾¾Article 46 of the Constitution of India lays down that the ¾¾Alamgirpur in Uttar Pradesh – impression of a cloth state shall promote with special care the educational on a trough. and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people and in particular of the scheduled tribes and World Heritage Week shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation. ¾¾World Heritage Week was marked around the world from November 19-25, after UNESCO declared the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development designated period a few decades ago. Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) ¾¾ ¾¾Its objective is to increase awareness about the It was founded in 1987. It is a national-level apex preservation of invaluable heritage and celebrate organization functioning under the administrative control of Ministry of Tribal Affairs. the architectural and cultural legacy.

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¾¾Intangible Cultural Heritage of India: Reggae got €€ Kumbh Mela, Yoga, Traditional brass and UNESCO Heritage Status copper craft of utensils among thatheras of Punjab, Sankirtana (ritual singing, dancing and ¾¾Reggae music, which got international fame because drumming of Manipur), Buddhist chanting of artists like Bob Marley, secured its place in United of Ladakh, Chhau Dance, Kalbelia (folk Nations’ list of intangible cultural heritage. song and dance of Rajasthan), Kutiyattam ¾¾Reggae music genre originated in Jamaica (a Caribbean (a Sanskrit theatre of Kerala), Tradition of island nation). Vedic Chanting, Ramlila, Novruz (Persian ¾¾UNESCO noted that while reggae started out as New Year), Ramman (religious festival and the voice of the marginalized, it is now played and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas), embraced by a wide cross-section of society, including Mudiyettu (ritual theatre and dance drama of various ethnic and religious groups. Kerala).

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Social Issues

Highlights zz World Toilet Day (45) zz Intensified Mission Indradhanush (49) zz World Malaria Report 2018 (46) zz US Citizen killed by Tribals in Andaman (50) zz Global Education Monitoring Report-2019 : UNESCO (47) zz Global Nutrition Report 2018 (51) zz Maternity Leave Incentive Scheme (48) zz Qaumi Ekta Week (52)

Significance for India World Toilet Day ¾¾Sanitation is a serious issue in India,with more than World Toilet Day is celebrated every year on 19 60% of Indians still defecating in the open. More November. than 80 million people in urban areas still do not ¾¾In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly have access to safe toilets. officially designated November 19 as World Toilet Day ¾¾Over one lakh children die in India due to diarrhoea- to engage and educate people and their communities related diseases, 90% of these deaths can be directly worldwide to encourage support for sanitation-related attributed to improper sanitation facilities. issues. ¾¾The inadequate urban sanitation has lead to a financial ¾¾It also aims to break the stigma around sanitation. loss to the economy equivalent to 6.4% of India's ¾¾It is coordinated by UN-Water in collaboration with Gross Domestic Product (GDP). governments and partners. ¾¾Further, hundreds of manual scavengers who scrape ¾¾The theme of World Toilet Day-2018 is “When the waste with their bare hands without any protective gear or masks, die each year cleaning out sewers in Nature Calls” which emphasizes that when nature calls, toilet is needed but billions of people don’t cities across India. have toilets. ¾¾Many women in India also prefer liquid meals for dinner, eat less and restrict water intake, women and girls hold The Sanitation Crisis their bladders for more than 13 hours a day, leading to many reproductive and urinary tract infections. ¾¾Toilets save lives, because human waste spreads killer diseases. World Toilet Day is about inspiring action Way Forward to tackle the global sanitation crisis. ¾¾Nature-based sanitation solutions (NBS) should be ¾¾Today, globally 4.5 billion people live without a safe encouraged which harness the power of ecosystems toilet and 892 million people still practise open to help treat human waste before it returns to the defecation. environment. ¾¾SDG 6 aims to ensure that everyone has a safe toilet ¾¾Most NBS essentially involve the protection and and that no-one practices open defecation by 2030. management of vegetation, soils and/or wetlands, ¾¾ Universal access to sanitation in households and including rivers and lakes. For instance: schools is essential in: €€Composting latrinesthat capture and treat human €€Reducing diseases waste on site, producing a free supply of fertiliser €€Improving nutritional status of children to help grow crops etc. €€Enhancing safety, and well-being of children €€Human-made wetlands and reed-beds filter €€Increasing educational prospects, especially for wastewater before it is released back into water women and girls courses.

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¾¾Technological solutions should be leveraged for €€drive impact in country through the strategic use sustainable solution of sanitation and hygiene. For of information; instance: €€establish best global guidance, policies and strategies €€Recently a machine launched by Sulabh International suitable for all malaria endemic countries; (a social service organization) can be adopted for €€implement a coordinated country response eliminating manual scavenging. The machineinjects ¾¾“High burden to high impact” calls for increased high-pressure water into the tunnels and tanks and funding, with an emphasis on domestic funding for then collects the waste with a mechanical bucket malaria, and better targeting of resources. operated from ground level. A remote control ¾¾Decline in Funding: In 24 out of 41 high-burden generates high-resolution inspection camera countries, which rely on external funding for malaria images of the sewer system. programmes, the average level of funding available €€Reinvented toilets promoted by the Bill and per person at risk declined in 2015–2017 compared Melinda Gates Foundation can be adopted which to 2012–2014. turn liquid waste into clear water for flushing, and ¾¾Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACTs) have solids into pellets or ash that is fertilizer. been integral to the recent success of global malaria €€While the reinvented toilet gets optimized, India control, and protecting their efficacy for the treatment should, in parallel, look at Omni processors for of malaria is a global health priority. faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTP). ¾¾Insecticide Resistance €€Of the 80 malaria endemic countries that provided World Malaria Report 2018 data for 2010–2017, resistance to at least one of the four insecticide classes in one malaria vector Recently, World Health Organisation (WHO) has from collection site was detected in 68 countries. released World Malaria Report, 2018. €€In view of the current situation, resistance ¾¾The report has mentioned that the number of cases monitoring and management plans are essential, of malaria has increased to 219 million in 2017 from in line with the WHO Global plan for insecticide 217 million cases in 2016. resistance management in malaria vectors. ¾¾Malaria occurs in 91 countries but about 90% of the cases and deaths are in sub-Saharan Africa. National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination (NSPME) (2017-22) Major Findings of the Report ¾¾Government of India has launched NSPME (2017-22) ¾¾Fifteen countries in sub-Saharan Africa and India providing wise elimination targets in various parts carried almost 80% of the global malaria burden. of the country depending upon the endemicity of ¾¾Five countries accounted for nearly half of all malaria malaria in the next 5 years. cases worldwide: Nigeria (25%), Democratic Republic ¾¾The NSPME is based on National Framework for of the Congo (11%), Mozambique (5%), India (4%) Malaria Elimination 2016which is in line with WHO’s and Uganda (4%). Global Technical Strategy for Malaria, 2016-2030. ¾¾Among these countries, only India reported progress in ¾¾Strategy to Eradicate Malaria reducing its malaria cases in 2017 compared to 2016. €€The NSP divides the country into four categories, ¾¾WHO also released a new country-driven approach – from 0 to 3. The plan is to eliminate malaria (zero “High burden to high impact” to enhance response indigenous cases) by 2022 in all Category 1 and to malaria in countries where Malaria cases increased 2 districts. in 2017 as compared to 2016. €€The remaining districts are to be brought under ¾¾Catalyzed by WHO and the RBM Partnership to End a pre-elimination and elimination programme. Malaria, the approach is founded upon four pillars: €€The NSP also aims to maintain a malaria-free €€galvanize national and global political attention to status for areas where transmission has been reduce malaria deaths; interrupted.

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€€It seeks to achieve universal case detection and of the international refugee regime and contains treatment services in endemic districts to ensure a wide range of commitments by Member States 100% diagnosis of all suspected cases, and full to strengthen and enhance mechanisms to protect treatment of all confirmed cases. people on the move. €€The plan has four components, based on WHO ¾¾It has paved the way for the adoption of two new recommendations: global compacts in 2018: zzdiagnosis and case management; surveillance €€a global compact on refugees and and epidemic response; €€a global compact for safe, orderly and regular zzprevention — integrated vector management; migration. zz‘cross-cutting’ interventions, which include ¾¾It also warns of the negative impact on education advocacy, communication, research and for children who are left behind as their parents development and other initiatives migrate. Test scores were lower among left-behind children aged 5-8. ¾¾Nevertheless, there has been progress in the inclusion Global Education Monitoring of refugees in national education systems, as seen Report-2019 : UNESCO in eight of the top ten refugee hosting countries. Canada and Ireland are among the global leaders Recently, United Nations Educational, Scientific and in implementing inclusive education policies for Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released its Global immigrants. Education Monitoring Report 2019 titled –“Migration, Displacement and Education: Building Bridges, not The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Walls”. Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Highlights ¾¾UNESCO, formed in 1945, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) based in Paris. ¾¾ The report highlights countries’ achievements and ¾¾It aims to contribute to peace and security by promoting shortcomings in ensuring the right of migrant and international collaboration through educational, refugee children to benefit from quality education. scientific, and cultural reforms. ¾¾The number of migrant and refugee school-age ¾¾UNESCO has 195 member states and ten associate children around the world in 2018 has grown by 26% members. since 2000 and could fill half a million classrooms. ¾¾India was a founder member of the Organisation. ¾¾The right of these children to quality education, even if increasingly recognized on paper, is challenged in India Specific Findings practical. The two years since the landmark New ¾¾Literacy levels in rural households of India dip with York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants in 2016, seasonal migration. About 80% of seasonal migrant refugees have missed 1.5 billion days of school. children in major cities lacked access to education near New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants in 2016 ¾¾On September 19, 2016, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants. ¾¾The New York Declaration reaffirms the importance

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work sites, and 40% are likely to end up in work rather the report shows that the scale of seasonal migration than education, experiencing abuse and exploitation. has a significant impact on education. ¾¾The construction sector absorbs the majority of ¾¾Therefore, the UNESCO report urges policy makers to short-term migrants. About 77% of kiln workers strengthen public education for rural migrant children reported lack of access to early childhood or primary living in slums. education for their children. ¾¾Migration and displacement are two global challenges ¾¾It lauds Right to Education Act in 2009 which made that needs to be addressed in achieving the 17 it mandatory for local authorities to admit migrant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in general children. National-level guidelines were issued, allowing and SDG 4, i.e. ‘Ensure inclusive and equitable quality for flexible admission of children, providing transport education and promote lifelong learning opportunities and volunteers to support with mobile education, for all’, in particular. create seasonal hostels and improve coordination between sending and receiving districts and states. Maternity Leave ¾¾The report says some State governments have also Incentive Scheme taken steps for migrant children’s education. However, most interventions are focused on keeping children ¾¾The Ministry of Labour & Employment has come up in home communities instead of actively addressing with clarification with respect to Maternity Leave the challenges faced by those who are already on Incentive Scheme. the move. €€There were some media reports that this Scheme ¾¾It also talks about challenges wherein the progress of has been approved/notified. However, it is clarified out-of-school children did not improve learning in any that Ministry of Labour & Employment is in the substantial way. Teachers on the sites cited culture, process of obtaining necessary budgetary grant language, lifestyle, cleanliness and clothing as major and approvals of Competent Authorities. barriers between them and the kiln labour community. €€The report, that it will be funded from Labour Teacher and student absenteeism were rampant. Welfare Cess, is also incorrect, as no such cess ¾¾The report sees the growth of slums and informal exists under this Ministry. settlements due to migration as a challenge. ¾¾The Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Cess (BOCW) Act, 1996 provides for collection of cess Recommendations for construction workers by states/union territories. ¾¾Protect the right to education of migrants and ¾¾The State and the Local governments collect the Cess displaced people. and then transfer to the State Welfare Boards. ¾¾Include migrants and displaced people in the national ¾¾Diversion of cess fund for welfare of other category education system. of workers is not permissible under the BOCW Act. ¾¾Understand and plan to meet the education needs Maternity Benefit legislations in India of migrants and displaced people. ¾¾The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 applies to ¾¾Represent migration and displacement histories in establishments employing 10 or more persons in education accurately to challenge prejudices. Factories, Mines, Plantation, Shops & Establishments ¾¾Prepare teachers of migrants and refugees to address and other entities. diversity and hardship. ¾¾The main purpose of this Act is to regulate the ¾¾Harness the potential of migrants and displaced people. employment of women in certain establishments ¾¾Support education needs of migrants and displaced for certain period before and after childbirth and to people in humanitarian and development aid. provide maternity benefit and certain other benefits. ¾¾The Act was amended through the Maternity Benefit Conclusion (Amendment) Act, 2017 which, inter alia, has increased ¾¾India, along with China, is home to some of the the paid maternity leave to women employees from world’s largest internal population movements and 12 weeks to 26 weeks.

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¾¾ While the implementation of the provision is good Partners’ Forum is short for the meeting of The in Public Sector, there are reports that it is poor in Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health Private Sector and in contract jobs. (The Partnership, PMNCH). ¾¾There is also a wide perception that private entities ¾¾The Partnership, PMNCH is an alliance of more are not encouraging the hiring of women employees than 1,000 organisations in 192 countries. The because if they are employed, they may have to organisations work in the sexual, reproductive, provide maternity benefit to them, particularly 26 maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health weeks of paid holiday. communities, as well as health influencing ¾¾Therefore, the extended maternity leave has become sectors. a deterrent for female employees who are asked to quit or retrenched on flimsy grounds before they go ¾¾The Partnership is governed by a Board, and on maternity leave. administered by a Secretariat hosted at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Need for Incentive Scheme IMR and MMR data ¾¾The Ministry of Labour & Employment is working ¾¾India's infant mortality rate (IMR 2016) is 34 deaths on an incentive scheme wherein 7 weeks’ wages per 1,000 live births. would be reimbursed to employers who employ ¾¾India’s maternal mortality rate (MMR 2016) is 130 women workers with wage ceiling upto Rs. 15000/- per 100,000 live births. and provide the maternity benefit of 26 weeks paid leave, subject to certain conditions. ¾¾The programme was the one of largest health ¾¾The proposed Scheme, if approved and implemented programmes in the world. Despite being operational can ensure the women in this country an equal access for many years, UIP has been able to fully immunize to employment and other approved benefits along only 65% children under 1 year of age. with adequate safety and secure environment. ¾¾The workplaces will be more and more responsive to Mission Indradhanush the family needs of the working women. ¾¾To give maximum protection to children against Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPDs), the govern- Intensified ment launched ‘Mission Indradhanush’ in December 2014 to fully immunize more than 89 lakh children Mission Indradhanush who are either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) is listed as under UIP. one of 12 best practices from around the world and will ¾¾The mission targets children under 2 years of age and be featured in a special issue of the British Medical Journal pregnant women for immunization. (BMJ). ¾¾Mission Indradhanush provides vaccination against 7 ¾¾The special issue will be brought out on the occasion diseases diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, of the fourth Partners Forum conference organised tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B. by the Government of India in New Delhi. ¾¾No separate funds are allocated for Mission Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) Indradhanush. Funds allocated for Routine Immunization are being utilized by the states to carry out activities ¾¾ UIP prevents Launched by the government in 1985, under Mission Indradhanush. mortality and morbidity in children and pregnant ¾¾ women through free of cost vaccination provided Mission Indradhanush does not target to reduce against twelve vaccine preventable diseases i.e. postnatal death rate. It aims to reduce diseases and Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio, death due to vaccine preventable diseases. Hepatitis B, Pneumonia and Meningitis due to ¾¾Earlier the increase in full immunization coverage Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib), Measles, was 1% per year which has increased to 6.7% per Rubella, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Rotavirus year through the first two phases of ‘Mission diarrhoea. Indradhanush’.

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¾¾ Intensified Mission Indradhanush Separate approvals of a competent authority would continue to be required for visiting reserved forests, ¾¾The Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) has wildlife sanctuaries, and tribal reserves. been launched by government of India in 2017 to reach each and every child under two years of age Sentinelese and all those pregnant women who have been left uncovered under the routine immunisation ¾¾The Sentinelese is a pre-neolithic, negrito tribe which programme. lives in North Sentinel Island of the Andamans. ¾¾The target under IMI is to increase the full ¾¾They are completely isolated with no contact to the immunization coverage to 90% by December 2018. outside world. The first time they were contacted by ¾¾Under Intensified Mission Indradhanush, greater a team of Indian anthropologists was in 1991. focus was given on urban areas which was one of ¾¾Due to no contact, the census of Sentinelese is taken the gaps of Mission Indradhanush. through photographing the island individuals from distance. Census 2001 counted them at 39. ¾¾Surveys of North Sentinel Island have not found any US Citizen killed evidence of agriculture. Instead, the community seems by Tribals in Andaman to be hunter-gatherers, getting food through fishing, hunting, and collecting wild plants living on the island. An American national who tried to contact protected ¾¾Sentinelese are also listed underParticularly Vulnerable Sentinelese tribes in Andaman’s North Sentinel Island Tribal Groups (PVTGs) by the government of India. was allegedly killed by them. ¾¾They are protected under the Andaman and Nicobar ¾¾In August 2018, in order to promote tourism in the Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, remote Andaman and Nicobar islands, the government 1956. excluded 29 inhabited islands which also included North Sentinelese island from the restricted area €€It declares traditional areas occupied by the tribes permit (RAP) regime till December 31, 2022. as reserves, and prohibits entry of all except those with authorization. ¾¾The lifting of RAP means that foreigners are allowed to visit these islands without prior permission from €€Photographing or filming tribe members is also the government subject to certain conditions. an offense. India’s Tribal Policy ¾¾Indian Constitution: €€Fifth and Sixth Schedules – provide for alternate or special governance mechanism for certain schedule area. €€Most of the tribes in India are collectively identified as Scheduled Tribes under Article 342 (1&2). €€Article 244 under Part X provides special provision for the administration in Scheduled Areas and Tribal Areas notified under Fifth Schedule. ¾¾The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 or PESA ensures self governance through traditional Gram Sabhas for people living in the Scheduled Areas of India. ¾¾The Tribal Panchsheel policy: €€People should develop along the lines of their own genius, and the imposition of alien values should be avoided.

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regards to these communities should enable them to €€Tribal rights in land and forest should be respected. move in the direction that they decide, on the terms €€Teams of tribals should be trained in the work which are their own and at the pace they wish to advance. of administration and development. €€Tribal areas over-administered or overwhelmed Uncontacted people: These are indigenous communities with a multiplicity of schemes. that have managed to exist almost entirely outside the €€Results should be judged not by statistics or purview of the nation-states in which they technically the amount of money spent, but by the human live. character that is evolved. Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) ¾¾PVTGs are centrally recognized special category from Should Tribes be contacted? among the Scheduled Tribes and were constituted The situation of tribal or the Adivasi communities in during the 4th five-year plan on the basis of the India has always been a challenge. To assimilate or to let report of the Dhebar commission (1960-61). “them” be, are ongoing debates. ¾¾They are the most vulnerable section among tribals ¾¾Humans by Nature Social and generally inhabit the isolated, remote and difficult €€Anthropologists who studied “uncontacted tribes” areas as small and scattered hamlets/ habitats. have said that the tribes were interested in making Tribes of Andaman and Nicobar contact with the outside world, but they were too The Andaman and Nicobar are home to six tribes, Great afraid to do so. Hence, outside contact should be Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, Sentinelese, Nicobarese made but only when they have initiated it. and Shompen. ¾¾Destruction of Tribal Culture €€Contact with the outside world also risks the Global Nutrition Report 2018 destruction of tribal culture, knowledge, and languages which can get overwhelmed by outside ¾¾In its fifth edition, the Global Nutrition Report influence and eventually these can become extinct. highlights the worrying prevalence and universality ¾¾Health Risk of malnutrition in all its forms. €€The “uncontacted people” are not vaccinated ¾¾According to the report there has been some progress to various diseases, which outsiders may carry in reducing malnutrition, but it has been too slow and unknowingly. There is a health risk to these not spread across all forms of malnutrition. communities from outside contact. ¾¾About a third of the world’s children suffer some €€In America, the contact with outside diseases killed form of malnutrition. up to 100 million indigenous people following the arrival of Europeans in the continent. Global Nutrition Report ¾¾This report has been produced by the Independent Way Forward Expert Group of the Global Nutrition Report, supported ¾¾The best path forward is a policy of "controlled by the Global Nutrition Report Stakeholder Group. contact" with these communities instead of a policy ¾¾The Global Nutrition Report was conceived following of no contact. Carefully managed contact to avoid the first Nutrition for Growth Initiative Summit (N4G) the spread of disease also enable the building of in 2013. The first report was published in 2014. trust and providing aid and medical help if needed ¾¾The Global Nutrition Report acts as a report card on is the best way. the world’s nutrition – globally, regionally, and country ¾¾Establishing contact with the outside world can also by country – and on efforts to improve it. help governments to document the tribe’s way of life, ¾¾It assesses progress in meeting Global Nutrition Targets preserve their culture and their holistic development. established by the World Health Assembly (World The approach to development has to be participatory Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO; and inclusive in nature. As recommended by the Bhuria it is attended by delegations from all WHO Member Commission (2002-04) any government policy with States and focuses on specific health agendas).

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¾¾The World Health Organization (WHO) is a Global not enough, all stakeholders also need the capacity Nutrition Report Partner. to use it to make evidence-based decisions. ¾¾Increase financing for nutrition – Although nutrition Key Findings financing have increased over the years, especially ¾¾Stunting in children under five years of age is declining in developing countries, they are not adequate. at a global level but numbers in Africa are increasing. Building on this progress, domestic investments must €€Although, some progress is visible only against continue to grow and international aid donors must stunting, India still holds almost a third of the keep investing. world's burden for stunting. Of the three countries ¾¾Galvanise action on healthy diets – Governments that are home to almost half (47.2%) of all stunted and business need to implement a holistic package of children, two are in Asia, with India having 46.6 actions to ensure food systems and food environments million (31%) and Pakistan having 10.7 million. are delivering healthy diets that are affordable, ¾¾India also accounted for 25.5 million children who are accessible and desirable for all. wasted, followed by Nigeria (3.4 million) and Indonesia Malnutrition (3.3 million). More than half of the world's children ¾¾Malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses or impacted by wasting (26.9 million) live in South Asia. imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or ¾¾Progress in addressing underweight and anaemia nutrients. It is often split into two broad groups of among women has been extremely slow while conditions: overweight ((body mass index (BMI ≥ 25) and €€Under nutrition, including stunting (low height for obesity (BMI ≥ 30) among adults is getting worse, age), wasting (low weight for height), underweight with higher rates of obesity among women than (low weight for age) and micronutrient deficiencies men. Conversely, diabetes is more common among or insufficiencies (a lack of important vitamins men than women. and minerals). ¾¾India also figures among the set of countries that €€Overweight, obesity and diet-related non- has more than a million overweight children. The communicable diseases (heart disease, stroke, other nations are China, Indonesia, India, Egypt, US, diabetes, cancer, etc.). Brazil and Pakistan. ¾¾In April 2016, the United Nations General Assembly ¾¾Different forms of malnutrition continue to coexist adopted a resolution proclaiming the UN Decade with each other. Of the 141 countries analysed, 88% of Action on Nutrition from 2016 to 2025. experience more than one form of malnutrition. ¾¾The Sustainable Development Goal (SD Goal 2: ¾¾In situations of crises arising from conflict, fragility, Zero hunger) aims to end all forms of hunger and violence and environmental change there is an malnutrition by 2030. urgent need to treat and prevent multiple burdens of malnutrition while also building nutrition resilience. Way Forward ¾¾The Global Nutrition Report 2018 finds again that Recommendations the problem of malnutrition remains severe across ¾¾Break down the walls between all forms of all regions and none of the countries are on course malnutrition –Different forms of malnutrition coexist to meet all nine global nutrition targets. which are being tackled at different rates, vary between ¾¾The commitments should be designed for impact populations, and overlap with each other in various which can be continuously monitored. If done, it ways. Therefore they require integrated approaches would result in a delivery on commitments that will and cohesive work to address them. be fit for purpose to end malnutrition in all its forms. ¾¾Prioritise and invest in the data and capacity to use them – The efforts made to improve the collection Qaumi Ekta Week and analysis of diet data must continue, and the gap in micronutrient data must be addressed as a matter ¾¾With a view to foster and reinforce the spirit of of urgency. However, data collection and analysis is Communal Harmony, National Integration and pride

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in vibrant, composite culture and nationhood, the highlight programmes under various Governments “Qaumi Ekta Week” (National Integration Week) was which help SCs/STs and weaker sections with observed all over the country, from 19th to 25th particular emphasis on the distribution of surplus November, 2018. land to landless labourers. ¾¾The week long programmes observed during Qaumi €€Cultural Unity Day (November 23, 2018) to present Ekta Week were: the Indian tradition of unity in diversity and for €€National Integration Day (November 19, 2018) promoting cultural conservation and integration. to emphasize the themes of secularism, anti- €€Women’s Day (November 24, 2018) to emphasize communalism and non-violence. the importance of Women in Indian Society and €€Welfare of Minorities Day (November 20, 2018) to their role in development of nation-building are emphasize 15 Point Programme launched in 2005 highlighted. by the government. It seeks to ensure the welfare of €€Conservation Day (November 25, 2018) to religious minorities through increasing educational emphasise the growing need for awareness and and employment opportunities, improving living action to conserve the environment. condition, preventing and controlling communal ¾¾The National Foundation for Communal Harmony riots etc. (NFCH), an autonomous organisation with the Ministry €€Linguistic Harmony Day (November 21, 2018) to of Home Affairs, organises Communal Harmony enable people of each region to appreciate the Campaign coinciding with the Qaumi Ekta Week and linguistic heritage of other parts of India. observes the Communal Harmony Flag Day on 25th €€Weaker Sections Day (November 22, 2018) to November.

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Disaster Management

Highlights zz Impact Based Forecasting Approach (54) zz Titli: Rarest Cyclone (54)

¾¾Titli cyclone was the rarest of rare in terms of its Impact Based following characteristics: Forecasting Approach €€Recurvature after landfall. zzWhen the eye of the storm passes over land, ¾¾Against the backdrop of Kerala floods, a new technology it is classified as making landfall. has been developed by India Meteorological zzThe eye of a hurricane has comparatively light Department (IMD) to assess the rise in water level winds and mild weather, while the eyewall is in rivers and reservoirs due to rain which can help a ring of thunderstorms surrounding the eye. State governments to minutely monitor the impact of rainfall. zzThe eyewall can actually hit land without the cyclone "making landfall". E.g.: Hurricane Sandy ¾¾The technology, called the ‘Impact Based Fore- made landfall in Cuba and Jamaica, but it was casting Approach’, shows “pre-event scenarios” that Haiti that was hit hardest. can help authorities in taking proactive and real-time decisions. €€Retaining its destructive potential after landfall, ¾¾Impact-based forecasting and warning services aim to €€Recurvature away from the coastal areas for more improve the synergy between stakeholders and citizens than two days, that play a role in a crisis (e.g. flood), by bridging the €€No synthetic track projection available to capture gaps between the four components needed for an the Titli type of cyclones, effective early warning system: €€Damage to both life and property caused in interior €€risk knowledge districts. €€monitoring and warning service ¾¾Earlier, India Meteorological Department had also called €€dissemination and communication the formation of Titli as a ‘rarest of rare’ occurrence. €€response capability ¾¾Usually, cyclone-risk management are heavily focused on the coastal areas where cyclones cross at their India Meteorological Department (IMD) peak intensities. Therefore, coastal areas now have ¾¾IMD was established in 1875. been largely well managed through evacuations and ¾¾It is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of other protocols, leading to zero casualties. However, the Government of India. this is not true for the interior regions since a Cyclone’s ¾¾It is the principal agency responsible for meteorolo- intensity weakens as it moves away from coastal areas. gical observations, weather forecasting and ¾¾RIMES has recommended that a detailed risk seismology. assessment be carried out for Odisha to understand the risks in the light of the Titli devastation.

Titli: Rarest Cyclone Cyclone Titli The Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning Cyclone Titli became the third major cyclone to hit System (RIMES) for Africa and Asia, has termed ‘Titli’, the Odisha-Andhra coastal zone in the last five years, all the severe cyclonic storm that hit Odisha as ‘rarest in October. The other two were Phailin and Hudhud. It cyclone’. was named by Pakistan.

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Movement of Cyclone was the case with Ockhi — and so they pose unique challenges in terms of hazard preparedness and ¾¾The cyclones that typically strike the Indian disaster management. neighbourhood in the northern hemisphere rotate anticlockwise. Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning ¾¾Their normal behaviour is to derive strength from System (RIMES) the moisture in waters such as the Bay of Bengal, ¾¾RIMES is an international and intergovernmental move west, incline in a northerly direction and peter institution, owned and managed by its Member out into the sea or land, depending on their origin. States, for the generation and application of early ¾¾In a re-curving cyclone, the cyclone gets a sort of warning information. second wind when it is on the wane. ¾¾It was established after the aftermath of the ¾¾ It is deflected right or eastwards. This is due to air 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami on 30 April 2009, currents in the local atmosphere that push cold air and was registered with the United Nations on from the poles towards the equator and interfere 1 July 2009. with cyclone formation. That is what makes them ¾¾ ‘re-curving.’ RIMES operates from its regional early warning center located at the campus of the Asian Institute ¾¾In the southern hemisphere, the cyclones spin of Technology in Pathumthani, Thailand. clockwise and therefore also re-curve in the opposite direction. ¾¾It is owned and managed by a Council comprising of 48 Members and Collaborating States. Currently, the ¾¾A challenge with re-curving cyclones is that it is hard for weather models to pick them early on — as Government of India serves as RIMES Council Chair.

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Miscellaneous

Highlights zz Mekedatu Project (56) zz Korean Wrestling in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage zz Indian Organ Donation Day (56) List (57) zz Vaccine for Goat Plague (56) zz Constitution Day (57) zz Vetiver Grass (56) zz Constitution in Braille (57)

¾¾In India organs are mainly donated by living donors Mekedatu Project and only about 23% of organ transplant is being done with organs obtained from cadavers. ¾¾Mekedatu, meaning goat’s leap, is a deep ¾¾There is a need to promote cadaver or deceased gorge situated at the organ donation rather than relying on living donors confluence of the in order to avoid the risk of commercial trading of rivers Cauvery and organs and also to avoid the inherent risk to the Arkavathi, about 100 health of a living donor. km from Bangalore, at the Kanakapura Vaccine for Goat Plague taluk in Karnataka’s Ramanagara district. ¾¾Researchers from the UK and India have ¾¾The aim of Mekedatu jointly developed a ‘smart’ vaccine called the DIVA Project is to use the water for a hydro power station vaccine which has the potential to help eradicate and supply drinking water to Bengaluru city. goat plague (a highly contagious viral disease that occurs in India, many African countries, West Asia, Indian Organ Donation Day China and Mongolia). ¾¾The 9th Indian Organ Donation Day was organized Vetiver Grass on November 27 by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) under the aegis of ¾¾Vetiver Grass commonly known as Khus grass is a the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. perennial grass of Indian origin. ¾¾Vetiver can be grown on almost every kind of soil. National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization But, well drained sandy loam and red lateritic soils (NOTTO) rich in organic matter are considered to be ideal for ¾¾NOTTO is set up under Directorate General of Health its cultivation. Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, ¾¾The Vetiver System (VS), used in more than 100 located in New Delhi. countries, is a system of soil and water conservation, ¾¾The National Human Organ and Tissue Removal and uses the vetiver plant for this purpose. It was first & Storage Network and the National Biomaterial introduced by the World Bank for soil and water Centre, are two divisions under it. conservation in India in the mid-1980s. ¾¾National Network division of NOTTO would function as apex centre for all India activities for procurement, Uses and Application of Vetiver Grass distribution and registry of organs and tissues ¾¾It absorbs carbon dioxide, it can be used to purify donation and transplantation in the country. polluted water bodies through phytoremediation, it

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has moisture retention property which makes vetiver to commemorate the adoption of Constitution ideal for soil conservation and replenishment of of India. ground-water (especially in combating soil erosion ¾¾On November 26 1949, the Constituent Assembly of on hilly slopes), it is also used in ethanol extraction, India adopted the Constitution of India, and it came as cattle feed, and for making handicrafts. It is also into force on 26 January 1950. an . antidepressant ¾¾Constitution is the country’s supreme law and not only defines the framework of the basic political principles, Korean Wrestling in but also establishes what the different government UNESCO’s Intangible institutions should do in terms of procedure, powers and duties. Cultural Heritage List ¾¾UNESCO has accepted a joint bid by North and South Constitution in Braille Korea and granted Intangible Cultural Heritage status ¾¾The to Korean wrestling ‘Ssirum’ which is an ancient sport. Constitution of India was also made available The joint bid marks a highly symbolic step on the road in Braille for the first time ahead of the Constitution to inter-Korean reconciliation. Day on November 26. ¾¾It was a joint project undertaken by the Buddhist Association for the Blind along with Saavi Foundation Constitution Day and Swagat Thorat. ¾¾Constitution Day also known as Samvidhan ¾¾Swagat Thorat has been running India's first Braille Divas, is celebrated on November 26, every year newspaper ‘Sparshdnyan’ since 2008.

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Note: Key Points Details

Summary Key Points Details

Summary